Danny Phantom: End of Days
by DevilBoy216
Summary: Entry 2 in a Nicktoons crossover series. 10 years after Phantom Planet, in a future where Danny Phantom has brought a new age of peace, but Earth's defense against the supernatural has atrophied. Now, Dark Danny returns from his exile and seeks to rule Earth and the Ghost Zone, and destroy his counterpart once and for all. Rated T for violence, language, and some drug use.
1. Prologue

**A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR/A MESSAGE TO BUTCH HARTMAN**

 _The following prologue is a written adaptation of the origin of Danny Phantom's powers in 'Memory Blank'. The original plot and dialogue is written Steve Marmel, and was directed by Ken Bruce, Gary Conrad, and Butch Hartman and has been adapted for paper with new scenes by DevilBoy216._ _This portion of the show has been adapted to this story to provide a better chronological flow for readers._

 _This story also adapts several elements of Butch Hartman's 'Danny Phantom: 10 Years Later' concepts as well as several deleted concepts during the show's development. All credit to Butch Hartman where it is due._

 _So, to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, and Viacom, please don't sue me. I just want to entertain people._

 _P.S.: To Butch Hartman, if you ever read this, you still owe an apology for your OAXIS controversy. That was not acceptable behavior. If you do indeed care about 'Christian Values', do you really think that Jesus (if he existed, that is) would appreciate you begging for money for a project you could have funded yourself and doing bait-and-switch tactics in his name?_

 _Also, I understand that many people may tell you that The Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom may have been their childhoods and thank you for creating those shows, but saying 'I created your childhoods' is egotistical to say in the least. Again, if 'Christian Values' are indeed something you care about, perhaps this verse from your holy book may make you think twice about yourself._

 _"Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor." -Proverbs 29:23_

 _With the semantics out of the way, enjoy the ride._

 **UPDATE (8/17/2019):** _Thank you for over 10 favorites._

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

Amity Park, a long time ago, long before the world knew the threat of the undead.

In the small business known as Fenton Works, a business built on hunting ghosts, not much progresses. With ghost hunting being a mere fringe theory, there is no place for ghost hunters in today's world. With no use for their inventions, their numerous contraptions are left in the basement of their home, the base of their business, untouched and used.

Today, however, three curious children inspect the tools, hoping to find some amusement from the ghost-hunting equipment. One of these children is Danny Fenton, the youngest of the Fenton family, getting ready to explore the _pièce de résistance_ of then all: an experimental portal meant to be a gateway to an alternate dimension of ghosts, to the realm of the undead.

Upon changing into a safety jumpsuit, another child, Sam Manson pulled out a camera, taking a picture of Danny just before his venture into the gateway.

"Smile!" Sam said.

The camera gave a blinding flash of light, causing Danny to experience some mild disorientation, coming to him quickly and leaving him just as fast.

"Okay, I showed you the portal, can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute. Besides, they say it doesn't work anyway." Danny said.

Sam and Tucker approached the portal, with Danny reluctantly following them, feeling too nervous to step inside for his own safety.

"Come on, Danny, a Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious? You gotta check it out." Sam said.

Danny seemed more courageous from Sam's words, subconsciously wishing to impress her with his bravery.

"You know what? You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super-cool things exist on the other side of that portal?" Danny asked.

With his mind made up, Danny zipped up the jumpsuit, preparing to step inside the portal. Before he could do so, however, Sam stopped him to correct one last detail.

"Hang on." Sam said.

On the front of Danny's jumpsuit laid a sticker of Jack Fenton, Danny's father, giving the suit an obnoxious look. Sam pulled it off the jumpsuit without a second thought, making the jumpsuit more visually appealing.

"You can't go walking around with that on your chest." Sam said.

With the sticker off his chest, Danny nervously stepped inside the Ghost Portal, investigating for anything of interest. While searching for something for the three to marvel at and satisfy both their curiousity and boredom, however, Danny accidentially pressed a button by leaning his hand against a wall, activating the portal.

To everyone's surprise, the portal powers on; its lights activating and many sounds of electrical power flowing through the equipment. Before Danny could even realize what he had just done, a flash surged through the portal, causing ectoplasm to rush through Danny's body, radically changing him to the genetic level, mutating his body permanently.

The process is agonizing beyond human comprehension, tearing his DNA apart at the seams and pulling them back together at the same time. Unable to withstand the immense pain from the mutation his body was undergoing, Danny was unable to do anything but scream. As one would expect from someone in his situation, his screams are loud and agonizing, terrifying his onlooking friends, believing that they have killed their best friend.

As his body begins radically changing on the inside, it does the same on the outside. His hair turned from jet black to snow white, and his eyes an icy blue to a jaded green. Slowly but surely, the face that his friends once knew is now the face of a stranger.

Sam and Tucker, feeling enormous guilt from seemingly sentencing their best friend to his death, no words come to their mouths, not even screams. The two friends could do nothing but hold each other in terror as they watched Danny suffer the painful mutation within the portal.

Finally, after several minutes of torture that seemingly last hours, Danny emerged from the portal, falling to the ground in exhaustion. Sam and Tucker, hoping him to be alive, rushed to his aid, doing anything in their power to help him.

" _DANNY!_ " They yelled.

Sam, having harbored affections for Danny, held him tight, believing that she may not have another chance to hold him again.

"Danny, please say you're okay." Sam said.

After several long minutes of anxiety, Danny regained conciousness; his eyes finally opening, To their surprise, along with the obvious change of his hair and eyes changing color, his eyes also emitted a glow.

"Danny? What happened? You look... different." Tucker asked.

"What? Different?" Danny asked.

Confused, Danny got up from the floor and rushed to the mirror, not knowing what he would see. As one would expect from such a radical experience, Danny found himself in a heavy state of shock, not knowing how to take his new appearance.

"Oh, crap. I am so grounded." Danny said.

Just when the confusion was starting to begin, a loud, inhuman roar came from the portal, gaining the immediate attention of the three.

"You're worried about your parents? What was _that_?" Tucker asked.

To the shock and horror of everyone in the room, a large ghost emerged from the portal, terrifying the entire group. The ghost was large and green, having a huge, exaggerated body, fat and cartoonishly large; and it had plenty of teeth, with ectoplasmic saliva running off them like a river, wetting the floor with its filth.

Sam and Tucker, believing themselves about to be dead, screamed in horror, cowering in the corner of the lab like two mice fleeing from a cat.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Tucker screamed.

"What do you think it is?! It's a ghost!" Sam yelled.

The two both hugged the wall, hoping in vain that they would be safe. Their efforts are as vain as anyone would expect, as the ghost approached them, still snarling and growling monsterously.

Danny, needing to do whatever he could to save his friends, asserted himself towards the ghost to take its attention away from them.

"Hey! Leave my friends alone!" Danny yelled.

Attempting to make his speech more dramatic, Danny pointed his hand to the ghost as he called to it. Unexpectedly, his gesture fired an ectoplasmic blast from his hand, inflicting harm on the ghost and causing it to give him its full attention.

With its attacker in its eyes, the ghost growled louder, its eyes turning bright red with rage. Within seconds, Danny began to regret his decision, nearly spoiling his underwear from the sight of the angered ghost.

" _WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!_ " The ghost yelled.

Remembering that he needed to save his friends regardless of the cost, and believing that the effects of the portal may have given him some means of fighting the ghost, Danny began to feel more confident in his approach, his eyes glowing a brighter shade of green and ectoplasmic energy surging through his body.

Feeling ready for battle, Danny gave a cocky smile and raised his fist, charging it with ectoplasmic energy.

"The name's Phantom. _Danny_ Phantom." Danny replied.

With a viscious roar and a flight straight towards Danny, the invading ghost began its attack towards him. Danny, now ready to face the attacker and use his newfound abilities to save his friends, leapt back towards the ghost, ready to fight.

This is just the beginning of a long journey, and the best is yet to come.


	2. Chapter 1: Days of Future Present

**CHAPTER 1: DAYS OF FUTURE PRESENT**

Amity Park, 2027.

With ghost awareness at its peak, Fenton Works is a worldwide corporation renowned for its acclaimed anti-ghost inventions and interventions, becoming more successful and influential than Macrosoft, MacDoogal's, and WallMore combined.

With the United States employing their services for official government use, ghost activity has fallen to non-existence, the country safer than ever before. The future appears brighter with each new day, and utopia has never seemed so reachable.

Amity Park is a prime example of this new world order. Where once seen as the ghost capital of the world, it is now one of the safest cities in the country, topping New York City as the nation's largest city and unofficial capital. The city is a paradise, and people that live within it are happy.

Despite the glorious state of the city, however, there are still the occasional threats.

Within the streets of the city, a group of ghosts swarmed up and down the crowded roadways, harassing the people of the city and causing ruckus and mayhem in their path. They are restless spirits, never having found peace in the afterlife, and now they are here to ensure that no one else finds peace either.

These raging specters destroy the streets, tearing the concrete from the ground, tossing lampposts like toys, and tossing over cars on their backs. They make their destruction well-known, and they find a twisted sense of bliss in the terror of others.

In the middle of their rampage, however, they are quickly brought to a stop with the surprise of an ectoplasmic blast, temporarily separating the group from each other. As the ghosts turned to see where the blast originated from, their eyes were met with the one figure that all ghosts across the Ghost Zone fear: Danny Phantom.

"Alright, Casper, why don't you make like a friendly ghost and put the street back where you found it?" Danny joked.

Acting fast to avoid prosecution from their extradimensional crimes, the ghosts quickly fled from the phantom of Amity Park, not wanting to fight the most feared ghost hunter in the world of the living. Danny, acting fast to catch his targets, immediately followed them in pursuit.

Behind him, a Specter Speeder began following his trail as well, seeking to assist him in his chase. Inside the Specter Speeder sat the two most important women in his life: Sam Manson, his wife; and Jazz Fenton, his older sister.

With Danny's bothersome ghost hunt turned into a strange form of a family activity, the three began their pursuit of the ghosts, ready to capture them and put them back into the Ghost Zone.

Danny and the Speeder fired their weapons at the ghosts, but they seem too fast to be caught, avoiding their energy blasts with ease and determination, moving swiftly and quickly in their flight patterns.

The two pilots of the Speeder do not make as precise shots as Danny, however, as they accidentally caused damage to a nearby building in their pursuit, causing rubble to fall near unsuspecting citizens below. They escape unharmed, but not too happy about the incident.

" _Guys, we're trying to capture the ghosts, not trash the city!_ " Danny said.

Danny expressed his displeasure via his Fenton Phones, having a direct link with the Speeder, where Jazz, the main pilot, expressed her own frustrations with Danny's remark.

" _Danny, I've been doing this for 10 years, I know what I'm doing. Relax a little._ " Jazz said.

" _And I've been doing this for longer than that. Maybe I know how to do things a little better than you._ " Danny replied.

" _So what?! I'm still your big sister, stop treating me like the new team member-_ "

Among the bickering of the two siblings, neither of them were quick to notice a rather large building within their flight path, posing an impending doom to them should they remain careless. Sam, not involved in the fight, took notice of the buildings, pointing out the obvious threat to the two oblivious siblings.

" _Uh, guys, hate to split up the sibling rivalry, but we've got a huge building ahead of us! You mind doing something about it?_ " Sam asked.

The two fighting siblings quickly put an end to their petty fight to see the huge building ahead of them, realizing the immediate problem and shifting their priorities to more important issues.

The group of ghosts that the three pursued passed through it harmlessly, turning intangible to move through it. Danny could have easily done the same, but he also had a large ship behind him that lacked the ability to follow. Needing to come up with a solution, he had to think and act fast.

Using his wits, Danny, gripping the Speeder, tightly, focused all his ability to turn intangible through the Speeder itself, something he had never done before. Sure enough, his gambit worked, as the Speeder turned intangible and phased through the wall, allowing the pilots to begin passing through unharmed, with Danny only nearly missing his mark.

After a few seconds of strenuous effort turning the Speeder intangible, Danny and the Speeder passed through safely, with the effort being heavily taxing on Danny. No longer able to continue his hold, Danny released the Speeder, putting his focus back on the chase.

" _This is the third haunt this month. What the hell's causing these sudden increases in ghost activity?_ " Danny asked.

" _You tell me, you've been doing this longer than me._ " Jazz said.

" _C'mon, Jazz. I could use a little cooperation here._ " Danny retorted.

" _Yeah. Besides, sarcasm is_ my _area of expertise._ " Sam added.

" _Fine. But seriously, I don't know. They've been quiet these past few years. I don't get the sudden rise all of a sudden._ " Jazz guessed.

Suddenly, the ghosts stopped their flee from the three ghost hunters, instead deciding to take a stand and fight instead. The first of the group, the leader of the pack, threw an ectoplasmic blast towards the Speeder. Danny, rushing to protect his family, jumped in front of the blast, absorbing the impact.

Predictably, his reaction to taking a painful blast to the chest, one meant for those he cares for, is not a pleasant one. Now eager to deliver due retaliation to the rogue ghosts, Danny rushed the group and prepared to fight.

[Soundtrack Cue: Static-X - Control It]

Two ghosts began their attack with simple lunges towards their target, but Danny effortlessly kicked them aside, knocking one into a mailbox, and the other into a car. With the two ghosts temporarily stunned, Danny delivered two ectoplasmic blasts from his hands, each one obliterating the ghosts.

One ghost tried a different approach, instead wishing to keep his distance. Using his levitational abilities, the ghost lifted several objects off the ground, ranging from small objects like bricks and rocks to larger ones like dumpsters and trucks, and launched them all straight at Danny.

Acting quickly to save himself and any bystanders nearby, Danny summoned an ectoplasmic sheild, catching all the debris within a bubble of ectoplasmic energy. With the citizens below safely out of harm's way, Danny lifted the debris over the ghost and released his hold of the clutter, causing it all to drop directly on top of the ghost, burying him.

The final three ghosts attempted to make a team effort of their last stand. The three ghosts surrounded him, catching him by surprise, with two of them grabbing him and holding him down. The third ghost summoned an ectoplasmic sword, one that resembled a cutlass, indicating this ghost was perhaps at one point a pirate, and tried to slice Danny with it. Danny, acting quickly, moved out of harm's way, causing the sworded ghost to slice the arm of one of the other ghosts, releasing his grip and freeing Danny.

Danny, now free, attacked all three of the ghosts with punches and kicks energized with ectoplasmic energy, severely damaging their spectral forms. With Danny's onslaught completely obliterating the ghosts, all three of the invading undead fell to the ground, defeated and exhausted.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

In a last-ditch effort to win, one ghost reappeared behind Danny's back, invisible to the human eye, but Danny took immediate notice of him, backhanding him with a single punch and putting him out of commission.

With the area secured, The Specter Speeder flew to the ground, with its pilots, Sam and Jazz, exiting the Speeder to help apprehending the ghosts. Danny floated down to the ground, joining them.

Sam handed Danny a Fenton Thermos, Danny having forgotten to bring one.

"You forgot to leave base without it again." Sam said.

Danny took the Fenton Thermos and opened it, capturing all the ghosts inside, and subsequently placing the thermos on his belt.

"Thanks, Sam." Danny said.

"Anytime." Sam said.

With the ghosts apprehended and the day saved, several bystanders came out to cheer his victory, happy that once again they were protected from otherworldly threats. Danny, enjoying the praise, waved at the crowd and accepted their thanks, even stopping to pose for a few pictures. Jazz and Sam, having assissted, also joined in the festivities.

"Well, now that the job's done, we'd better get out of here. We have to get these ghosts back into the Ghost Zone." Jazz said.

Taking Jazz's advice, the three entered the Specter Speeder, preparing to head back to Fenton Tower. Before they could do so, a small child approached Danny, grabbing his hand and pulling on it. Danny taking notice of the small child's enthusiasm, turned to the child and kneeled down to face him.

"Hey, kid, what's up?" Danny asked.

"Mr. Phantom, Mr. Phantom! Will you sign my hat?" The child asked.

The child held up a baseball cap with Danny Phantom on the front, posing and giving a thumbs up on the front. Danny, taking pride in the child's adoration of him, happily took the hat to sign it.

"Sure, no problem." Danny replied.

Taking a pen that the child handed him, Danny signed the hat and placed it on the child's head, playfully patting him on his head. Happy to have met his idol, the child lit right up in happiness.

"Awesome! Thank you, Mr. Phantom!" The child said.

The child's mother approached him, picked him up, and held him tight. The child, still excited to have met his idol, jumped up and down in his mother's arms, barely able to be contained.

"Mommy, mommy, I met Danny Phantom!" The child said.

"I know, sweetie. My son thinks the world of you, Mr. Fenton. You're his hero. Keep up the good work." The mother said.

"Glad to be a good role model. Well, I've got to go for now. Be safe, little guy." Danny said.

Danny gave the child a small fist-bump before he boarded the Specter Speeder, making the child happy once again. Sam, taking notice of Danny's kind actions with the child, gave him a smile as he approached.

"You sure are good with kids." Sam said.

"Hey, I'm a superhero. What kid doesn't love a hero?" Danny asked.

"Mmm. I can't argue with that."

Sam wrapped her arms around Danny, kissing him passionately after the strenuous fight against the ghosts.

"Uh, guys, I was planning on eating later. Do you mind?" Jazz asked.

"Don't worry, Jazz, I think I'll take the scenic route back. That is, if it's alright with you, Danny." Sam said.

"You're my wife, how can I say no?" Danny replied.

Turning the two of them intangible, a feat easier than the entire Specter Speeder, Danny carried Sam with him as he began to fly out of the Speeder and away to the skies. The crowd, always impressed to see a man that can fly, cheered him on as he departed.

The two shared a peaceful flight over Amity Park on their way back to Fenton Tower, taking in the sights of the technological metropolis of Amity Park. Where once seen as an obscure city in Colorado, its infrastructure mediocre by the standards of its time, now stands as one of the most technologically advanced cities on the planet, a modern-day metropolis.

Danny's eyes, however, have no care for the sights that the sky provided him, as he instead looked to Sam, his wife of 5 years. To be married at such a young age would seem foolhardy to most, but, to him, it was the greatest blessing in his entire life.

"How did I ever get so lucky in life?" Danny asked.

"I should ask the same question. I just can't believe it took us until were 14 to get started, and until 19 since you put a ring on it." Sam replied.

"Still, I can't help wondering what those ghosts were doing. Why all these sudden resurgences?"

"You always put your mind too much at work. How about we relax for once?"

"Any suggestions?"

"How about the Nasty Burger? Veggie for me and a Barbeque Bacon for you?"

"I think I'll take a Veggie too. I should watch my calories."

As Sam gave a chuckle at Danny's joke, the two continued their flight to the Nasty Burger to enjoy dinner together.

* * *

Several feet below the city, however, things are not so peaceful. Where the land above holds the heavens, the land below the city holds the hell. As beautiful as the city of Amity Park appears to many, what is seen by most is merely a sugar-coated topping. Below its covers is a cesspool of poverty and crime.

As the more advanced and technologically progressed architecture took the place of the city of Amity Park, the old and the decayed has fallen below the city, creating an underground world that holds the ugliness the city tries to hide. As required of all foundations, any kind of building must be built on something. That something was the old city itself.

Now, its people, those who refused to abandon their lives in favor of progress, stayed behind, living in this hell below Earth.

One such person is Jebediah Stone, a simple man from a simple family. He never had much of an eye for anything technological or fancy, instead choosing a simple life as a convenience shopkeeper. The pay is small, but sufficient, and the work is meaningful.

An unwelcome guest, however, has come to take away that meaning. This man, despite his heavy covering with his plentiful clothing, emitted a light green glow, giving the Jebediah all the information he needed to know about this particular clientele.

"Hey, you! Get out of here! We don't allow spooks in here!" Jebediah said.

"'Spooks', huh? I guess prejudice doesn't like to waste its good slurs, huh? You should know that we prefer to be called 'mortally challenged'." The stranger said.

"Get out of here before I call the Ectos and have them put you in a soup can!"

Before the shopkeeper could make good on his threats, a shadow began to flow from the stranger onto the floor, slowly making its way to the shopkeeper. Arising from the floor, the shadow took a physical form for itself, surrounding the shopkeeper and gripping him tightly. Recognizing himself to be in severe danger, the shopkeeper's tone suddenly changed from angered to frightened.

The unknown ghost, now having the situation in his control, shed his hat and coat to reveal himself to the shopkeeper. The ghost was none other than Johnny 13, the leader of the notorious Unlucky 13s biker gang.

"You know, I don't discriminate myself. I've got the living and the dead in the Unlucky 13s, and they get along just fine. My problem is people like you thinking you own these streets. Thinking that these businesses are yours. They aren't. These are my streets, and this store is my property. I gave you several chances to pay your dues, but you refused. Now, you get to pay me in a different way. Shadow?" Johnny 13 requested.

The shadow complied with his master's request, slicing the shopkeeper's throat, spilling his blood across the floor. Gathering the blood on one of its tendrils, the shadow drew a large '13' on the window of the shop, marking their territory for themselves.

With its task completed, the shadow returned to Johnny 13, where it returned to its place behind his back.

"Good boy. Let's take the guys for a ride." Johnny 13 said.

Johnny 13, with his territory claimed, stepped on his bike, where his gang awaited his lead. Kicking the throttle, the bike powered itself up, its engine growling like a fierce animal from the harshest jungles. The Unlucky 13s followed his lead and revved their engines as well, creating a symphony of loud, hard-edged engines.

With the Unlucky 13s ready to go, Johnny 13 began leading them in their ride across town, ready to wreck the streets as they saw fit.

[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Light]

The Unlucky 13s raced down the roads of the underbelly of Amity Park, their tire treads marking the ground like animals marking their prey. The citizens of the roads all take precaution to avoid their path. The undead members of the Unlucky 13s, having the ability of intangibility, harmlessly passed through the onlookers, while naughtily lifting up the skirts of any attractive women they encountered.

"Lady, if I had my dick again, I'd be putting it in you right now!" One undead biker remarked.

"I've got mine, and I'm gonna find something nice and warm to put it in tonight!" A living biker remarked.

Even though this dark dystopia has its moments of chaos, it still has its law enforcement. Two police vehicles, noticing the ruckus the bikers were causing, began their pursuit of the biker gang, seeking to end their reign of terror.

The Unlucky 13s, not easy to surrender to law enforcement, prepared themselves for a fight. The bikers pulled out chains, pipes, baseball bats, and other kinds of weapons fit for any road warriors.

Two bikers, taking spiked bats, swung their bats to the tires of one of the police cars, causing the car to swerve out of control and crash into a nearby building.

Another biker, taking his chain, dropped it underneath the other car, with the chain falling underneath the car and catching under its axles, causing it to swerve out of control as well. The cop car, unable to stop efficiently, turned to the side, then subsequently flipped over, tumbling down the street.

The bikers were soon joined by more law enforcement, this time on bikes of their own. The Unlucky 13s, believing this to be a more interesting fight, prepared themselves for more fun.

One biker took a steel pipe and hit the side of one cop bike, damaging the engine and causing the cop riding it to fall off and tumble onto the road. As he laid on the ground, several more Unlucky 13s ran him over, crushing his arm and foot, eliciting a scream from him.

Another cop bike found its way directly behind the bike of Johnny 13 himself, where the officer attempted to apprehend him directly. Johnny 13, however, had other ideas.

"Shadow, take the wheel!" Johnny 13 called.

The shadow, obeying his master, took over control of the bike, safely stabilizing it. Johnny 13, acing carefully, turned himself around and stood up on the seat of the bike, jumping off it with precise timing.

Johnny 13, making an aerial attack, stepped atop the front of the cop bike and delivered a sharp kick to the officer's face, knocking him off the bike and onto the hard pavement.

The shadow, driving the bike, slowed down and got behind the cop bike to catch his master, where Johnny 13 safely phased himself onto it, assuming control of the bike again. Taking the opportunity, Johnny 13 ran over the grounded biker cop, running over his head, crushing it like a watermelon.

While laughing in satisfaction of his dirty deeds, Johnny 13 was slow to notice a peculiar object standing before him on the road. The road was a person, standing completely still, doing nothing.

Johnny 13, believing this to be another moment of fun, increased his speed to run down the pedestrian, expecting to create a larger mess on the road.

His expectations are soon subverted, however, as impact with the person did not create a splatter on the street, but, rather, his bike hitting a roadblock, launching him off the bike and onto the ground, landing on his face.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Dragging himself off the ground after the brutal pavement kiss on his face, Johnny 13 managed to crawl his way back to his bike, where he found his shadow, also injured from the crash as well.

The two of them looked up to the crash site, where a figure emerged from the flames, revealing themselves to be the source of their accident. As the figure approached the two, the figure's hands began to glow green with ectoplasmic energy, frightening the two ghouls awaiting their punishment, as they recognized the source of the energy.

"Danny? But you've never been down here before!" Johnny 13 said.

" _Who said I'm Danny Phantom?_ " The figure asked.

The voice of the figure was female, bringing confusion to the two ghosts. As the figure approached them, the figure revealed herself to be a female doppelganger of Danny Phantom, a 'sister' from years past.

"So you got a sex change. What's the big deal?" Johnny 13 joked.

"I said, I'm not Danny Phantom. The name's Danielle." She said.

Danielle finished her speech with an ectoplasmic blast straight to Johnny 13's face, completely obliterating him.

* * *

 _Author's note: All dialogue in brackets [like this] represents when the characters are speaking in the Irken language._

Light-years away, in a solar system belonging to the dominating alien force known as the Irken Empire, a planet known as Carcerem floated in orbit, slowly rotating across its two small suns.

Carcerem is a barren, desolate planet, known for being a complete frozen wasteland, its surface covered with only snow and ice. The one and only feature that makes it significant is that it houses a prison for the empire, hosting the worst scum of the universe.

With lunch hour arriving, the prisoners all met in the canteen, conversing with one another and playing meaningless games, having nothing else to do in this frozen wasteland of a planet, in this hell of a prison.

One prisoner, however, sat quietly alone, uninterested in the others or their lives. This man was once known as Vlad Masters, better known to the world as Vlad Plasmius, the archenemy of Danny Phantom and the most powerful supervillain to walk the Earth. Now, he is far from Earth, and further outside of his element.

In his time, Vlad was a rich and powerful man who got whatever he wanted, except the woman he wanted most; Maddie. His one and only interest was taken from him by his best friend, Jack Fenton.

For years, he had done whatever he could to win her over, to no luck. Having made an effort to obtain control of the entire Earth for himself as its dictator, revealing his true intentions after all his supposed friendship with Jack, his place on Earth had left him, with his goal further away than before. Now in self-exile from Earth, his time has passed him, leaving him to rot in this world.

Now, he resides in the galaxy's most secure and dangerous prison as its _de facto_ ruler over the inmates through his power and viciousness, his wish for power half-granted. Having been here as its leader so long, he has lost so much time he no longer remembers his own name. Here, he is simply known as Vamp due to his ghost form's appearance, never having changed back to human form since his exile.

Once, he was a man of status and importance on Earth, before having lost it all with his entire planet rejecting him. Now, he simply sits to rot away in this planet he found himself trapped on. Despite his status as ruler of the inmates, deep down he cares nothing for it. All he wishes for now is freedom or death, whichever comes first.

As Vlad sat and brooded to himself, he was approached by an inmate, coming to bring him bad news.

"[Vamp, Zuul will try to fight you again. He will have your head if he has his way.]" He said.

"[I am aware of his plot, Speng. He will not succeed.]" Vlad replied.

Taking action, Vlad got up from his seat and approached Zuul at his table, confronting him and his gang.

"[Is there a problem, Vamp?]" Zuul asked.

"[Why, yes, there is. You.]" Vlad replied.

Unexpectedly to the onlookers, Vlad threw a punch to Zuul's face, knocking him out of his seat and onto the floor. Several of Zuul's gang members began to pile on Vlad, but Vlad effortlessly shook them all off, none of them strong enough to pose a threat. After a recovery period, Zuul rose from the floor to retaliate, landing several punches of his own.

As the fight continued to rage on, the inmates began to surround the two brawlers, with several groups cheering for one fighter or the other, altogether making a crowd with a mixed reaction on who would win, and what it would mean for the prison.

Before the fight could continue any further, however, the guards surrounding the prison began to fire tear gas into the pit, dispersing the crowd. With the guards selecting Vlad and Zuul from the group, the two were brought away for a selective type of punishment as a way to settle the imbalance in the prison.

A few minutes later, inside an arena at the bottom level of the prison, Vlad and Zuul were thrown inside, placed on opposite ends, cheered on by inmates to slaughter each other.

"[Was the punch worth the trouble to foolishly surrender your rule to me, Vamp? To commit suicide in front of your kingdom?]" Zuul asked.

Zuul gave a smug smile as he asked his taunting question, seeking to provoke his opponent. Vlad, however, was unfazed by his taunt, giving an amused smile of his own.

"[You make it sound like I hadn't planned this. Did you really think me so foolhardy, Zuul?]" Vlad replied.

Realizing that Zuul may have made a serious mistake, his smile quickly disappeared, instead turning to a determined look, ready to fight.

"[Enough talking! Two men enter, one man leaves! Those are the rules! Now, fight!]" A guard shouted.

The several prisoners surrounding the observation deck, waiting for the bloodshed to happen, went frantic with excitement, hoping to see blood be shed, being the only kind of entertainment in such a harsh place.

"[Two men enter, one man leaves!]" The prisoners chanted.

"[Vamp vs. Zuul! Let the fight commence!]" A guard said over the loudspeaker.

Vlad and Zuul did not immediately fight, but rather simply stared at each other, studying each other closely. Each has their own plan of attack, but neither are too eager to waste their shot at once, waiting for just the right moment. The two slowly circled each other, watching another, waiting for the right time to strike. They each have only one shot here, and neither wish to lose it.

After a moment of staring each other down, Vlad and Zuul finally fight, with Vlad beginning the fight. Vlad put up a strong fight, attacking relentlessly with punches that match Muhammad Ali in speed and impact, but Zuul dodges many of his punches and lands several of his own, making Vlad start to lose consciousness and making him fall to the ground.

In a standard boxing match, Vlad would be out. But this is a fight to the death, and anything goes here, and Vlad was never one to surrender.

Kicking Zuul in his kneecaps, Vlad temporarily stunned his opponent, giving himself enough time to rise from the ground. Grabbing Zuul by his head, Vlad punched him several times more in his face, past his hardened skull and further into his alien brain. With another quick move, Vlad gouged out Zuul's left eye, making him scream in immense pain.

Zuul, taking a stand against his opponent, began to kick Vlad in his stomach numerous times, knocking the breath out of him completely. With no air left in his lungs for a good few minutes, Vlad's consciousness slowly began to fade from his oxygen deprivation. No longer able to stand on his feet, Vlad fell to the ground again, seemingly for good this time.

"[Any last words before I kill you in front of the entire prison, Vamp?]" Zuul asked.

"[I am a vampire, Zuul. I have no words for you. _I HAVE ONLY DEATH!_ ]" Vlad yelled.

With the last bit of strength in his body, Vlad lept and bit into Zuul's neck, sucking the blood out of his alien body to nourish his own. The prisoners, once cheering, went dead silent and watched in shock as Vlad began drinking all of Zuul's blood before them all, giving him the appearance of a wild animal.

Slowly but surely, Vlad drank all of Zuul's blood, leaving his body a lifeless shell and killing him. With no soul within his body anymore, Zuul's body fell to the ground, proving Vlad as the winner of this fight to the death.

The prisoners, now in support of Vlad, began chanting his name, establishing that he was once again the ruler of the inmates, the king of this nowhere land. The guards, dispersing tear gas into the observer rings, drove the crowd out, no longer having a show for the prisoners.

Needing to control the situation from getting any worse, the prison guards entered the ring with riot gear, surrounding Vlad, ready to take him away. Vlad, wanting to keep himself alive, held his hands up in compliance, allowing himself to be taken away.

Several guards approached Vlad and took him out of the ring, leading him past the normal prison cells and placing him in solitary confinement, where he would remain for some time to avoid causing any disturbances within the prison.

Now alone, Vlad sat in his cell, smiling over his victory, with his rule over his empire still established. Where Earth may no longer have a place for this old, bitter man, this place has become more of a home than he could have ever imagined. How ironic, it seems, that a prison becomes more of a home to a prisoner than his old home.

"I am the king." Vlad said.


	3. Chapter 2: Existential Crisis

**CHAPTER 2: EXISTENTIAL CRISIS**

In the heart of Amity Park lays Fenton Tower, the highest skyscraper on the planet, the headquarters of Fenton Works, and the unofficial capital building of the country.

Over the past 10 years, the Fenton Works building, both home to the Fentons and headquarters of their business, grew taller and taller with its several added new features until it was eventually built from the ground up again into a skyscraper, fit to all the Fentons' ghost-hunting needs.

Within the tower, events progress fairly normally, in whatever way 'normal' applies to a place where the seemingly impossible is made possible. In the R&D laboratory, Maddie Fenton continued her heavy work to complete her latest anti-ghost invention, the Specter Deflector, a ghost repellent in the shape of a ballpaddle. Jack Fenton, her goofy husband, stayed with her to assist her, but his efforts are less than helpful.

"Jack, could you hand me the Ectoplasm Stabilizer to purify the Specter Deflector's lighting source?" Maddie asked.

"Sure, honey, here you go!" Jack replied.

Jack foolishly picked up a can of diet soda, mistaking it for the similarly-shaped Ectoplasm Stabilizer, and handed it to Maddie.

"Thank you, Jack." Maddie replied.

Maddie placed the can of diet soda to the Specter Deflector, not noticing her husband's mistake. Believing the soda can to be the required hardware, Maddie powered on the Specter Deflector, expecting a successful test run.

Upon powering up, the Specter Deflector began to sputter and flicker within the first few seconds. Maddie not expecting the reaction, immediately tossed the tool out of her hands, across the room, ensuring that it would not harm them.

The Specter Deflector, damaged from the impact of the throw, overloaded and exploded, shooting diet soda across the lab. Maddie, tasting the liquid it sprayed, confirming her suspicions.

"Jack, did you give me a diet soda again?" Maddie asked.

"Well, uh, could've sworn that can said 'Ectoplasm Alka-Seltzer' on it, guess my eyesight must be going these days now, too." Jack replied.

Across the room, a 'ding' noise was heard, bringing an excited look to Jack Fenton's face, causing him to dart across the room to the source of the sound.

"Ooh! The Fenton Fudge Pancakes are done! I can't wait to see how this batch turns out!" Jack said.

As Jack rushed to try his new food invention, Maddie sighed in annoyance at her husband's childishness, having made no progress in her work.

During Maddie's irritation, The Specter Speeder arrived back inside the laboratory, with Jazz emerged from the Speeder to greet her mother.

"Jazz! The mission go okay?" Maddie asked.

"Yep. We got every one of them, thanks to Danny. How's Dad doing?" Jazz asked.

Upon hearing his name, Jack joined the conversation, his mouth full of his fudge pancakes, messily spitting crumbs as he spoke.

"Jazz! You've just _got_ to try these fudge pancakes! Soon, every kid on the block will be having Fenton Fudge Pancakes for breakfast alongside their families everyday, I know I sure will be!" Jack said.

Jazz gave a slightly disgusted look with her father's eating habits, wiping the salivated crumbs from her face.

"Thanks, Dad, but I'll pass for now. Mom, how goes the Specter Deflector?" Jazz asked.

Maddie gave a heavy, annoyed sigh, still not pleased with Jack's carelessness.

"Well, I was _almost_ about to perfect the issue with the Spectral Light Emitter, but your father accidentally handed me diet soda again instead of the Ectoplasm Stabilizer, and it nearly killed both of us." Maddie replied.

"Mmm-mmm! These are going to sell like hotcakes! Wait a minute, these _are_ hotcakes! I truly am a genius!" Jack said.

Maddie shook her head at her husband's obliviousness, tired of his antics, but forgiving both as his wife and him being an old man.

"Hey, go easy on Dad. He may goof off sometimes, but he's an old man now. We can't be too mad at him." Jazz said.

"You're right. Still, I wish he'd go easy on his sweets. It already cost him his leg, and if it wasn't for that diabetes cure that came out 2 years ago, he would've lost the other one. Hey, where's Danny and Sam?" Maddie asked.

"Oh, they went out. They should be back in a while." Jazz said.

"Hey, anyone got any whipped cream?" Jack asked.

* * *

A few miles away, atop a hill within Amity Park's public park area, Danny and Sam relaxed on a hill together, enjoying their dinner from Nasty Burger, with Danny reverted to his human form. Alone together after a long, busy day of hunting ghosts, the two did their best to relax and enjoy their time together as a married couple.

"Hard to believe that 10 years ago we kept all this ghost-hunting stuff secret. Now, we're the richest people on Earth and people treat us rock stars. Well, at least you are. I'm just the sidekick." Sam said.

"Don't be so modest, Sam. I couldn't have gotten as far as I did without you and Tucker. Who else was gonna get me the Thermos in time?" Danny asked.

"Hard to believe you never thought to just put it on your belt 'till I suggested it. And harder to believe that Tucker actually made it to president."

"He didn't have much competition against that old white guy who thought Mexico was gonna invade us. I'd rather vote Dash over that guy."

"And voting for Tucker did give us the second African-American president. Hooray for diversity. Maybe you should run and be the first half-ghost president. It'd sure you'd be a lot better than if Vlad successfully ran the world."

"I can't argue with that. I wonder what happened to Vlad, anyway."

"Who cares? He tried to take over the world in exchange for saving it. Good riddance."

"If there's one thing I learned from our encounters, it's that he never quite goes away. I'd rather be prepared for if- for _when_ he comes back. I won't lose to him again."

"You can't be so hard on yourself, Danny. Look how much you've done for this city, for the world. People see you like a superhero now instead of Amity Park's worst enemy."

"I don't care what they think of me. As long as we've got each other, I'm fine."

Danny held Sam's hand, reassuring her of the safety of their marriage. Feeling some kind of encouragement from his notion, Sam rolled on top of him, beginning to kiss him passionately. As Danny returned the kiss, their actions began to lead into something else.

* * *

In the underground of Amity Park, in a quiet area of the city, the woman known as Danielle Phantom roamed the city in her human form, not having anywhere to go. She is cold and alone, wearing only scrappy clothing taken from dumpsters and stolen from department stores, having no choice in order to sustain herself. Without Vlad Plasmius to provide her a home and unable to face her biological template, Danny Phantom, she is without friends and family.

Despite being the unofficial protector of the underground of Amity Park, defending it from rampant ghosts and any sort of threats to its few peaceful citizens, she does not think highly of herself. Many people are thankful for her protection, but she suffers from an identity crisis, or, rather, a lack of identity. If being the second-rate version of another person is a worthless life, then what is her life, as a clone of someone else?

 _For 10 years, I've been living this life. But what is my life? A copy of someone else's? What am I supposed to be?_ Dani thought.

While strolling down the streets, Dani looked upon a poster of Danny Phantom and Team Phantom hanging on a toy shop, causing her to contemplate her purpose even more. Looking deeply into Danny's face with her own reflecting from the glass, feeling memories and emotions that are not her own, she no longer knows herself.

 _I'm not real. Vlad made me to be some perfect little copy of him. I'll never be like him, never be as famous as he is, never even as powerful as he is. Where does that make me? What am I supposed to do with myself?!_ Dani thought.

In her state of despair, the faces on the poster began laughing in her face, mocking her worthless state of existence. Not believing what she was seeing, Dani began to back away from the window, viewing her hallucination in shock.

" _You know, Dani, I've already got a sister, why don't you just do us all a favor and die already?_ " The Danny hallucination asked.

"What?! No, you're not real! Danny would never say that!" Dani said.

" _Is that so? Well, I suppose you'd know, being my clone, right? Then you should know damn well that there's only room for one Phantom, and that's me. I don't need a second-rate copy. That's what the Ecto Corps are for._ "

"Shut up! Shut up!"

" _Oh, come on, with all the clever comebacks that you could possibly come up with, the best you've got is 'shut up'?! You really are a worthless copy of me!_ "

"STOP IT!"

Unable to continue the torment, Dani fired an ectoplasmic blast in the window, shattering the glass and burning the poster, ending the hallucination. While the immediate issue of the poster was gone, the shopkeeper of the toy store was not very happy with his store damaged.

"Hey, you spook broad! You're gonna pay for that! You better have some goddamn change in that ectoplasmic form of yours!" The shopkeeper said.

Needing to find a space to herself, Dani ignored the angry shopkeeper and ran, not knowing where to run. The shopkeeper, predictably, was not happy with his current predicament.

"Hey, where are you going, you- Aw, screw it. Damn spooks." The shopkeeper lamented.

After several minutes of running, hoping in vain to escape from her own fears, she ran into an abandoned alleyway, finally finding herself alone. Unable to stand the torment that has been with her for years, she had nothing left to do in this secluded spot but cry, forgotten, alone, and without comfort in her time of need.

"Who am I?! _WHO AM I?!_ " She yelled.

" _You know who you are._ " A familiar voice said.

Upon recognizing the voice, Dani immediately snapped out of her state of sorrow into a state of alertness, charging up ectoplamic blasts in her fists, ready to fight, as the owner of the voice was none other than Vlad Plasmius, revealing himself out from the light.

"You! What do you want?!" Dani asked.

"I want you, my dear. Danny was the son I always wanted, all those powers and abilities, all untapped potential to train to my own ends, but he would never have me as his father figure. That is why I created you. You do not carry his imperfections. You do not carry his weaknesses. You are perfect." Vlad said.

Dani began to find herself convinced by Vlad as he spoke, but still remained skeptical due to his manipulative nature. Vlad approached Dani slowly, reaching out his arms in a welcoming manner.

"You are the best child that I could ever ask for. You are the one who will succeed me in ruling both the Ghost Zone and the real world. You, my daughter, Dani Plasmius." Vlad said.

Dani began to let her guard down, beginning to be more and more conviced by Vlad's words, eventually powering down the ectoplasmic charges in her fists. Vlad now moved to be face-to-face with Dani, looking at her with a warm smile.

"Come, now, my daughter, give your father a hug." Vlad said.

Despite Vlad's seemingly genuine approach, Dani remembered Vlad's true nature as a manipulator and man only interested in his own benefits, rejecting his facade of kindness.

"No. No! You're a liar! Go away! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Dani yelled.

Dani followed up her sentiments with an ectoplasmic blast through Vlad's chest, knocking him back a few feet and causing him to groan in pain. After a few heavy breaths, Vlad returned to Dani with an approach not so friendly. Vlad grabbed Dani by the throat and held her into the air, choking her as she hung in the air.

"And I had such hopes for you. To think I put all the time and effort in creating you. But, like all artists, what I can create, I can destroy as I please." Vlad said.

Vlad took his hand, turned it intangible, and reached into Dani's chest, gripping her heart and crushing it with all his strength. Dani, feeling the immense pain of her heart crushing in her chest, screamed in pain, wishing for the torment to stop.

Suddenly, however, Dani awoke to find herself still in the alleyway which she ran to, never having left. After realizing that the affair was merely a dream, albeit a very bad one, she finally brought herself down from her stress, beginning to breathe normally. Still, the relief is not enough to cleanse the feelings of solitude and misery still left within her.

During her existential crisis, a clatter occurred behind a trash can, catching Dani's attention. Ready to defend herself, Dani charged up ectoplasmic energy in her fists, ready to fire.

"Look, pal, I'm sorry I busted your window, but I'm not having a real good night. Just beat it and leave me alone!" Dani said.

Dani's warning seemingly was for naught, as the clattering began to grow louder and louder. Ready to defend herself, Dani focused more intensely on the source of the clutter, not knowing whether this was the angry shopkeeper or a new threat that approached her.

"I mean it! Don't make me do this!" Dani yelled.

Finally, the cause behind the noise was revealed, giving a rather anticlimatic end to the affair. The source of the noise was a small stray cat, climbing from the trash, meowing softly at Dani. Dani, relieved from the affair ending and amused that the trouble was over a simple cat, laughed off the scare. As she approached the cat, the cat began to approach her as well, with the cat jumping in Dani's arms.

Dani sat on the ground with the cat in her arms, with the cat beginning to purr and cuddle with her. Dani, needing the support from the cat, found a smile brought to her face, temporarily allowing herself an escape from the troubling questions in her mind.

The cat looked to Dani and meowed at her, as if giving a sign of friendship.

"Yeah, I guess I could use a friend right about now, too." Dani replied.

Dani cuddled the cat further, visibly making her happy and cheering her up from her troublesome night.

"I'm Dani. What's your name?" Dani asked.

The cat meowed at Dani, unable to communicate with her.

"Oh, right. You're a cat. You don't talk. I guess I'll have to name you. I'll think I'll call you... Spooky. Sound good?"

Spooky meowed seemingly in approval.

"Alright. Spooky it is. Well, Spooky, I guess you and I have a lot to talk about, but how about we get some food first?"

Spooky meowed seemingly in agreement.

With her newfound pet wishing to join her for dinner, Dani tucked Spooky into her jacket and left the alley, seeking out her dinner for the night.

* * *

In the undead void known as the Ghost Zone, in a space secluded from the rest of the afterlife, there resides a fortress without time that is home to the ghost known as Clockwork. The ghost is a spirit not bound by time, existing outside of it as its watchman. Within his home, he continues his duties as the watcher of time, watching over the events to come in the future, a view that he has always had.

This time, however, where the future was always clear to him, on this day, the future is no longer clear, no longer set. Where he could see all of things to come, now, he sees nothing.

"What is this? This is impossible! Time has always been seen to me! This cannot be happening, unless..." Clockwork began to say.

As Clockwork began to consider what the problem could truly be, a strange humming noise began to occur elsewhere. Upon realizing what the sound could be, Clockwork's suspicions began to turn from speculations to actuality.

Clockwork began to rush to the source of the humming sound, fearful of what it could be. His suspicions are finally confirmed when he saw the source of the strange humming noise.

The source of the strange humming noise was a cracked Fenton Thermos, inside it holding a threat to the living and the dead. The cracks in the thermos began to expand and emit a bright Capri blue glow from within. Clockwork knew that it was far too late to stop the coming threat now.

"Unless... Or, rather, obviously, time is no longer as it should be." Clockwork said.

Clockwork does not brace himself for the coming reaction, knowing that doing so would make no difference on the outcome.

The thermos began to shake violently, cracking and stretching, violently expanding, ready to explode at any minute. Within seconds, the thermos finally exploded, sending shrapnel across the room and filling it with ectoplasmic smoke, causing Clockwork to cough heavily from the thick haze.

When the smoke clears from the room, a tall, strong, dark figure is seen forming from the clearing smoke. As the smoke cleared the room, the details of this figure began to become more and more apparent, each detail confirming who this figure was, and bringing more and more of a sense of doom to Clockwork.

This figure is Dark Danny, and now he is free. Now free from his timeless prison, Dark Danny stood tall, his hair flaming more furiously than ever, his eyes flaming with more vengeance than before.

"Well, Danny, It's been a while." Clockwork said.

"It has. It's been 10 years, to be exact. It becomes very hard to tell being in your domain, where time seems to flow differently, if at all. Not to mention being trapped in that thermos, being unable to even exist in a physical form, is nothing short of a literal Hell." Dark Danny said.

"It was no less than the fate you deserved, having wreaked genocide in your native timeline, ending all forms of life in your world. I had hoped that thermos would hold you forever, keeping time safe from you, but I should have guessed that this day would come."

"And why is that? Because you knew that this would be the day of your death, the beginning of your journey into Oblivion? That your so-called rule of time would come to an end? You say that as if you were expecting this event, dare I say anticipating it. Tell me, then, do you know what happens now?"

"Time has become unclear to me now, so I never saw what happens past this part, an new experience which brings very uncertain feelings for me. All I can do now is make my own future as I see fit, and, indirectly, make your future as well."

Clockwork pressed a button on his staff, activating his ability to stop time.

"Time out." He said.

Time in this world comes to a stop, the clocks hanging on the walls no longer moving, but Dark Danny does not stop. Dark Danny only stood still of his own volition, his hair still moving, showing his unaffected state. Clockwork took immediate notice, not expecting the lack of effect, with Dark Danny smiling evilly. Unaffected by Clockwork's futile attacks, Dark Danny slowly walked towards Clockwork.

"Time out!" Clockwork said.

Clockwork again pressed his staff, trying to stop time around his attacker, yet again to no effect on Dark Danny. Laughing at Clockwork's futile attempts to defend himself, Dark Danny continued slowly approaching him, tauntingly making his final moments last. In something rather uncharacteristic, Clockwork seemed terrified under his calm appearance, not expecting this reaction out of any being, living or dead.

"H- How is this possible? How are you not Time is my domain!" Clockwork said.

"Isn't it obvious? Time may be your domain, but you have changed time, where my timeline no longer exists. I no longer exist within time. I am a paradox. I am free of its rules, and you have set me free." Dark Danny said.

Dark Danny came face-to-face with Clockwork, looking down on his now-terrified captor, having no more means to defend himself.

"And I've had 10 years to become more powerful than you can imagine." Dark Danny said.

Dark Danny forcefully took Clockwork's staff from him, breaking it in half like a dry twig, resetting time to flow as normal. Tossing the broken staff aside, Dark Danny picked up Clockwork, holding him in the air, and tossed him aside, knocking him against a wall and knocking off several clocks off the wall.

As Clockwork struggled to get off the floor to make a final stand, Dark Danny ran his fist into Clockwork's chest, impaling him. Clockwork, never having known pain this intense his entire life, screamed and writhed in pain.

"Now, 'master of time', _your_ time is up." Dark Danny said.

Dark Danny removed his hand from Clockwork's chest, pulling out numerous mechanical clock parts out, causing him to bleed out several more parts and clock oil.

" _Did not... see... this possibility..._ " Clockwork said.

With his last words leaving him softly, Clockwork died on the floor, the remnants of his spirit disappearing forever into Oblivion, no longer existing in the cosmos. With Clockwork dead, all of the clocks in his home stopped moving, falling apart as Clockwork did. Clockwork's time screen, the screen which shows the real world for him to observe, began to flicker and glitch further, making the future more and more uncertain.

As Dark Danny looked into the screen, he was able to catch a glimpse of Danny Phantom, his alternate self, still alive and well, rising to stardom and immortality in the popular world. Recognizing that this version of himself was far from himself as it can ever be, Dark Danny realized that he no longer shares any resemblance to Danny Phantom, neither in name nor appearance. With this revelation, Dark Danny shed his old name in favor of a new one true to his identity.

"No longer will I be known as Dark Danny, as I am no longer Danny Phantom, as I am no longer you. I am your opposite, your bane, your downfall, your own demon. My name is... _Demon Phantom_. Now that I am free, the land of the living and the land of the dead are mine to rule." He said.

Demon Phantom held up Clockwork's heart in his hand, still ticking like an old grandfather clock, clock oil still seeping from its valves into his hand.

"I will bring the living world the apocalypse it deserves. I will destroy the child that destroyed me. Danny Phantom... _must DIE!_ " Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom crushed Clockwork's heart in his hand, shattering its parts across the room. With his captor dead, the Demon flew into the Ghost Zone, enjoying his newfound freedom and planned his conquest, looking over his new domain.

"With the apocalypse to come, I will require horsemen to bring it forward, and I know the perfect candidates." The Demon said.


	4. Chapter 3: All The King's Men

**CHAPTER 3: ALL THE KING'S MEN**

Back at Fenton Tower, Danny and Sam flew in to the laboratory, returning from their peaceful, romantic dinner. As they arrived back, the two came to find Jack and Maddie continue to work on the Specter Deflector, still no closer to finishing the project, as Jack was still far too focused on his new invention of Fenton Fudge Pancakes.

"Danny! Sam! You're just in time to try the new stack of Fenton Fudge Pancakes! I've got plenty for everyone!" Jack proclaimed.

Jack offered his son and daughter-in-law a plate of fudge pancakes, which the two found themselves uninterested in the pancakes, not only due to having just eaten, but not immediately ready to scarf down several unnecessary and empty calories and processed sugars.

"Uhh, no thanks, Dad. We just ate." Danny said.

"Yeah, you knock yourself out, hopefully not from another diabetic stroke." Sam joked.

"Well, suit yourselves, kids." Jack said.

As Jack Fenton walked off to continue enjoying his unhealthy concoction of sugary breakfast and dessert foods, Danny changed back into his human form to relax after his tiresome fight against the invading ghosts.

"Danny! Think you could help me and your father with the Specter Deflector? We've almost got it finished." Maddie asked.

"Sorry, guys, but I need him for a little bit. I promise we won't be long, and he'll be right back out to help you with the... whatever it is you're making this time." Sam said.

Sam grabbed Danny's arm, pulling him with her out of the room, unexpectedly to him and confused for the sudden urgent gesture. As the two of them walked into another room, Maddie began to grow confused by the sudden need for privacy.

"Uhh, well... okay! Just come back in when you've got some free time!" Maddie called.

As Maddie began to show concern from Sam's forwardness, curious what her agenda was, Jack was less than concerned with the ordeal, perhaps not even noticing, focused now on the Specter Deflector.

"What could those two be up to, Jack?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know, kids these days, it could be anything." Jack replied.

"They're not kids, Jack. They're 24. And they're married. You and I were at their wedding. Remember? You drunkenly flirted with Sam's mother, thinking it was me?"

"24? Married? Last I remember, Danny was about as high as my knee. Well, you know what they say: They grow up so fast."

"Oh, Jack. I wonder what could be happening between those two. Sam's been acting moody lately, spending a lot of time alone with Danny..."

Using her woman's intuition, Maddie happily gasped, realizing what Sam's eccentric behavior was truly about.

"Jack, do you think that Sam's-" Maddie began to ask.

Before Maddie could finish her sentence, before she was able to say the key word that formed her question, the Specter Deflector exploded in Jack's face, blowing soot all over the both of them.

"Blast! How are we supposed to get this thing working before our deadline? And why hasn't it finished the next batch of fudge pancakes? ...Wait a minute, this isn't the fudge pancake maker, I left it over by the..." Jack rambled.

As Jack continued his senile ramblings about his beloved fudge pancakes, Maddie shook her head in annoyance at her husband's foolishness.

"Maybe I should've married Vlad. At least he could probably still get it up." Maddie said.

* * *

 _Author's note: All dialogue in brackets [like this] represents when the characters are speaking in the Irken language._

On the prison planet of Carcerem, the unofficial king of the prison, Vlad Plasmius, continued to sulk in his prison cell, awaiting the end of his penalty of solitary confinement. The walls were specially fitted with Ectoranium, preventing Vlad from phasing through his cell or blasting through it. Here, he has no choice but to wait out the end of his sentence.

He does not mind the solitude, the loneliness being preferable to being a slave in this otherworldly prison. Being here for as long as he did, as far from his own home, Vlad now has no recollections of his life on Earth, not even remembering his own name, merely having only vague visions that come to him occasionally, this time being one such occasion.

Taking a piece of concrete laying on the ground, Vlad used the concrete like a piece of chalk, drawing on the walls. By drawing on the walls, he drew several sketches of faces and people that look and feel so familiar to him, but the memory of these people are far from him. Instead, these vague memories haunt him, like recurring dreams. Or, rather, nightmares.

As Vlad continued to face his sketches of the faces and figures, where he would recognize the faces immediately, now, he cannot.

Where in one picture, he would see a picture of Jack Fenton, a man who he once thought as his best friend, his once-best friend who betrayed him by stealing the love of the woman he loved most, and he would look upon him with hate; now, he only sees a strange-looking man, as there were no other humans in this prison, living or dead.

Where in another, he would see a drawing of Maddie Fenton, the woman he had loved all his life, the one who chose Jack Fenton over him, and he would look upon her with a cocktail of heartbreak and jealousy; now, he only sees a woman. An attractive woman, but a stranger nonetheless.

Where in another, he would see the face of Danny Phantom, his sworn and worst enemy, his foil and the bane of his existence, the boy who single-handedly stopped each and all of his plans for all his own benefit, he would this face with absolute and complete rage and blinding hatred.

But now, he sees just the face of a boy. And he does not know him, nor why he should.

As his internal questions come to an end, a prison guard opened the door, bringing in light into the room, causing Vlad to avert his eyes to avoid the sharp, stinging pain of the light.

"[Vamp! You're penalty's up. You're on duty for food prep!]" The guard said.

Vlad sat on the floor, not acknowledging the guard's order, or not caring. With Vlad's delayed response, the guard grew impatient, not bothering with a second warning.

Taking assistance from another guard, the two picked Vlad up, dragging him out of his room and into the kitchen of the prison, forcing him to get to work.

As Vlad was pushed into the kitchen by the two guards, Vlad brought himself on his feet again, heading into the kitchen to perform his duties, putting on his apron and hairnet.

Vlad was not alone in his kitchen duties, as he was joined by another alien known as Belasco, an demon-like creature of the planet Lucifer. Sharing obvious physical similarities to the Luciferian race, Vlad and Belasco were something of friends, both being demons.

"[Hey, Vamp. Good to see you out. You completely slaughtered Zuul.]" Belasco said.

"[I know. I was there.]" Vlad said.

"[So was I, I enjoyed the show. Zuul was an asshole.]"

"[So what's on the menu tonight?]"

Belasco held up a large sack of meat, freshly shipped in from the Irken Empire, in whatever way 'fresh' applied to the meat.

"[Blorchian Rat, formerly known as the Slaughtering Rat People of Blorch, until the Irkens took it over and 'repurposed' the native population as a food source.]"

"[Let me guess, so those two 'Almighty Tallest' can continue having their precious snacks, right?]"

"[Why do you think they chose their conquest of doom? They can't have their snacks if there's no food to make the snacks.]"

"[Are we going to process this meat or what?]"

Belasco wasted no more time with the meaningless conversation, opening the sack of meat to begin portioning the meat for the coming dinner for the prisoners.

"[I still think you should try to talk the higher prison staff to give us some safety regulation. They'll listen to you.]" Belasco said.

"[Don't be stupid, Belasco. No one cares about us, we're prisoners. We don't even register as sentient life-forms to those bugs.]" Vlad said.

"[But you're Vamp! You're the biggest of all of us!]"

"[I'm no one, Belasco. I don't even remember what my own name is, let alone where I came from. I don't even want to be seen as 'The Big Man' in this hellhole. I may not remember my past, but I can see my future just fine. I'm an old man, and my last days are coming soon enough. I'm going to die here, and I want to die peacefully. Now, please, can we get to work?]"

Finally deciding to respect Vlad's feelings, Belasco dropped the conversation to continue processing the alien rat meat for their dinner. Despite dropping the subject, he still had one more question.

"[Tell me something, honestly, do you ever remember anything at all about your past, Vamp? You know, like, where you're from?]" Belasco asked.

Vlad took a deep breath before answering, beginning to recollect a few vague memories again, to have one specific answer come to him.

"[Earth. I think I was from Earth.]" Vlad said.

* * *

In the underbelly of Amity Park, the slum that was once the grand old city, Danielle Phantom walked down the streets with her new accomplice, a cat named Spooky, in search of a suitable dinner for the two. Dani walked down several areas, searching out any open food markets to steal from, with Spooky tucked discreetly in her coat pocket.

After a few minutes of walking, Dani's search finally came to an end, as they approached a marketplace in the city. The street was crowded and busy, filled to the brink with people, ripe conditions for a clean steal.

Out of the busy food stands, one stand in particular caught her eye for a nice dinner. The stand she selected sold large, freshly-caught fish in a small window, with a large bass in the window, catching the attention of both Dani and Spooky.

"Looks tasty enough, but it's a little big to carry. Think you can help me get it?" Dani asked.

Spooky meowed in agreement.

"Okay, then. Let's get ourselves a nice piece of bass." Dani said.

Dani placed Spooky on the ground, prompting the cat to follow her from the ground, unseen to many lookers.

Dani approached the stand, where several others surrounded the area, making the attendant slightly flustered under the multiple customers to appease. Using her body to her advantage in the situation, Dani unbuttoned the top of her jacket, showing more cleavage.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you think you could tell me about this fish here?" Dani asked.

The fish salesman approached Dani to answer her question, but found himself slightly distracted by the view that Dani was offering him, bending over the counter with a very generous view of her breasts.

"Huh? What?" The salesman asked.

"The fish. The big one here. Could you tell me about it?" Dani asked.

"Oh, yeah. This bad boy we caught in Lake Eerie just yesterday. Mean sucker, too, it took at least three guys just to reel it in."

"Wow. You must be pretty strong, huh?"

"Yeah, I try to work out. Can't catch big things like this with no muscle."

"Well, I do have a thing for muscles... and 'big things'."

As the salesman found himself gullibly accepting Dani's advances, several other customers found themselves annoyed by not being helped, some even calling him for his attention, only to be ignored.

As Dani continued her flirting, she slowly phased her hands through the glass standing between her and the fish, all to the shopkeeper's obliviousness.

"I don't think I've seen you around here. What's your name?" The salesman asked.

"Jazz. Like the music." Dani lied.

"Jazz, huh? Do you think I'm one cool cat?"

"Actually, no. But I think he is."

Before the shopkeeper could question what Dani meant, Spooky jumped onto the counter and attacked the salesman, distracting him for Dani to finally grab the fish and pull it out, running away as fast as possible.

"Get off me, you goddamn stray!" The shopkeeper yelled.

The shopkeeper threw Spooky off of him, making the cat run off to follow Dani on her way back home.

"Sorry, I hate cats, what were you saying-" The shopkeeper began to say.

The shopkeeper looked up to see that his supposedly interested customer was long gone, and looked back down to notice his prized bass was gone as well, leading him to realize what had happened.

"You goddamn spook! You're not getting away from me!" The shopkeeper yelled.

The shopkeeper pulled out an anti-ghost gun, something contraband even in the old city, and rushed after Dani, hoping to catch her and retrieve his prized fish.

The shopkeeper ran into an alleyway, hoping to catch his thief, calling out her name.

"Get out here, you little skank! I don't know why a spook like you wants food, but you better give it back right this second!" The shopkeeper said.

The shopkeeper's threats were met by an ectoplasmic blast, knocking the weapon out of his hands and destroying it. Now disarmed and defenseless, the shopkeeper raised his hands and began backing away slowly.

"Okay, then... Just keep the fish... I've got plenty of other fish where that came from..." The shopkeeper said.

Upon leaving the alleyway slowly, the shopkeeper turned around and ran away as fast as he could, not wishing to further provoke the hostile ghost.

When the shopkeeper ran back to his stand, Dani and Spooky stayed behind in the alley, laughing at the shopkeeper's cowardice and in victory of scoring dinner.

* * *

Later, the two headed to a small apartment, a place where Dani loosely considers home. Upon arriving inside, Spooky jumped out of Dani's pocket and made himself comfortable on her bed.

"Well, taking my bed right off the bat, huh?" Dani asked.

Spooky meowed hungrily.

"Oh, right, one second." Dani said.

Dani took a piece from the fish and placed it in a pan, preparing to cook it on the stove. As she turned the knob to activate the oven, however, the oven would not start, leaving her without a conventional means to cook the fish.

"Well, I don't like doing this, but..." Dani began to say.

Dani placed the pan underneath her hand and began heating it up with ectoplasmic energy, causing the pan to heat up and begin cooking the fish. Spooky, scared by her hand glowing green with energy, meowed fearfully and hid behind a pillow, peeking out fearfully.

Not immediately realizing what Spooky was afraid of, Dani looked at her hand and realized that it was glowing bright green with ectoplasmic energy.

"Oh, _that_. That's part of where I come from, Spooky. From a guy named Danny Phantom. It's a long, sad story." Dani said.

* * *

Back at Fenton Tower, in a private room holding Danny and Sam, the two shared a moment together to discuss something important. Something that Sam wished to discuss regarding an issue that could change their lives forever.

"Okay, Sam, what was the thing you needed me for?" Danny asked.

"Remember when I told you how good you were with kids earlier?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I need to know, how good would you be with kids of our own someday?"

Not expecting such a difficult question so suddenly, Danny began to blush and stutter, not immediately ready on how to reply.

"Kids of our own?! Well, I don't know... It'd be a lot of work, a lot of money- Well, okay, let's be honest, money's not really a problem for us, we're richer than Jeff Bezos, but..." Danny stuttered.

After taking a deep breath to collect himself, Danny finally calmed himself enough to continue the conversation. While he had stared undead interdimensional invaders in the face with no fear, there was truly nothing in his life that measured up to this moment that brought him fear.

"I guess kids of our own would be kind of nice. But I still have ghost responsibilities to take care of. You'd have to stay home for a long time, but- Hey, why do you ask, anyway?" Danny asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sam asked.

"I guess not."

Sam laughed at Danny's seemingly clueless outlook on the conversation, not believing he truly had no idea of the purpose of the conversation.

"You're so dense. I'm pregnant!" Sam said.

Upon hearing the truth, Danny immediately lit up, overjoyed to hear the good news.

"That's... that's great! That's great, Sam!" Danny said.

Danny immediately hugged Sam passionately and spun her around in the air, feeling nearly euphoric about the good news.

"When did you find out?" Danny asked.

"About a week ago. You sure you're ready for this, Danny? We could always start later on if you're not ready-" Sam replied.

Danny interrupted her last words, holding her stomach to assure her of his readiness to enter fatherhood.

"I'm ready, Sam. I've been waiting a long while for this day. Should we tell my parents?" Danny asked.

"What? Hell, no! Well, at least not yet. Do you have any idea how crazy your mom would be on me?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yeah. Fair point. Then, who should we tell?"

"Let's just keep it our little secret until everyone's ready to take the news."

"Okay. For now, why don't you relax? I'll go help my parents with the Specter Deflector."

"Alright, but don't keep me waiting too long. Maybe I'd like another kid to go with this one."

Danny's face went to complete nervous shock to Sam's lighthearted comment.

"Whoa, Sam! One's not enough for now?" Danny asked.

Sam laughed at Danny's startled reaction, not expecting him to react so seriously to her joke.

"Just kidding. Hurry up and help out your parents." Sam said

Danny gave a heavy sigh, relieved that Sam's comment was merely a joke.

"Okay, be right back." Danny said.

Danny exited the room to continue assisting his parents, hoping to help them complete the Specter Deflector project.

* * *

Within the infinite realm known as the Ghost Zone, the home to all undead things, there once was a ruler over all the undead known Pariah Dark, better known to many as the Ghost King.

He was a being with only one goal: to rule all that was undead. There were many that attempted to awaken him and begin his rule anew, fanatics of his previous rule and soldiers that kept their loyalty to him, but no one has ever successfully brought him out from his eternal slumber, all thanks to one ghoul.

The spirit which keeps him in his eternal sleep is known only as the Fright Knight, a powerful ghost that has lived a very long afterlife. Not much is known about him, though some speculate that he may have been the legendary Black Knight of many medieval tales, his loyalty to the Ghost King has come to an end.

No longer bound by his allegiance to the king, the Fright Knight made a new mission for himself: To ensure his old master never returns.

His mission has stayed the same for years now, with each time having its own attempts to resurrect the Ghost King, but all have befell the Fright Knight's blade. A knight to the end, the Fright Knight has bound himself to his mission and fought off all means of threats, but none have beaten him.

Now, there remains no more competition. There are no more who would see the return of the Ghost King, and the Fright Knight is now without purpose, simply wasting away in his castle of death, surrounded by the spectral remains of his enemies.

All the king's men could not save him, and now there is nothing left here.

On this day, however, one such ghost comes to the castle seeking not the king, but his best knight. This ghost is Demon Phantom, formerly known as Dark Danny, selecting instead a name more true to himself.

Noticing his unwanted visitor, the Fright Knight rose from his seat, a seat which he had been sitting in for several years uninterrupted, readying his sword to this guest.

"Danny Phantom. You are not welcome here. None have come to this place but to bring back the Ghost King, and I will not allow you to do so if this is your intention." The Fright Knight asked.

"You confuse yourself, knight. I am not Danny Phantom, and I am not here for the king." The Demon replied.

Upon further inspecting his intruder, the Fright Knight lowered his blade, entertaining the conversation further.

"How strange. You bear some resemblances to the Phantom, but you clearly are not him." The Fright Knight said.

"I am from beyond this time, from a time of my own, in which the one which you knew as Danny Phantom became someone, or, rather, something else. He became me." The Demon said.

"And this means what to me, stranger?"

"I am seeking to have domain over both the living and the dead, to bring forth the end of days. I will need four followers to accomplish this mission. I select you as one of the four."

"And if I refuse? I have served many despots for thousands of years, living and dead. Many have shed innocent blood, and others have sent plenty of souls to Oblivion. I refuse to continue following death any further. All I wish now is to be left in peace in my own domain."

"Knight... You disappoint me."

"And how is that so? Because I refuse to take any more lives needlessly?"

"No, knight. Where you were once a being of fear, one that made yourself immortal in the eyes of both the living and the dead, you have now become old and forgotten, wishing yourself away in this castle. What kind of fate is that for a knight?"

As the Fright Knight listened more and more to the Demon's words, he began to become more and more convinced with his words, craving the old days of wreaking fear and terror onto living souls.

"You are fear incarnate, knight. You were a spirit of terror. Why waste yourself in this place? Join me, and you will have as many souls as you can terrorize." The Demon said.

Demon Phantom grabbed Fright Knight's sword, channeling energy into it, causing it to grow and expand from a simple broadsword into a two-handed claymore, one more than worthy enough of the Fright Knight to wield.

"And so many more ways to terrorize. All you have to do is follow me until the end of my plans to wreak Armageddon." The Demon said.

Tempted by the appeal of bringing terror into the living once again and being further won over by his sword, the Fright Knight decided to listen to Demon Phantom's offer.

"Alright, Demon. I am listening." The Fright Knight said.


	5. Chapter 4: The Least Dangerous Game

**CHAPTER 4: THE LEAST DANGEROUS GAME**

In the undead realm known as the Ghost Zone, Demon Phantom, accompanied by his new horseman of Conquest, the undead black knight known only as the Fright Knight, flew to a distant location in the Ghost Zone to locate the second horseman for the coming apocalypse: Pestilence.

"Are you certain that this one will be useful, my liege?" The Fright Knight asked.

"This one was a formidable foe in my days as Danny Phantom. She will serve quite useful against my heroic counterpart. Why do you doubt my judgement here, Knight? Do you think me incompetent in my decisions?" The Demon asked.

"My liege, you've not seen the state of the Ghost Zone in 10 years. Many of us no longer haunt the land of the living, and, as such, many of us have gotten neglectful of ourselves. Times have changed, and so has she."

The Fright Knight pointed to Demon Phantom's point of interest: a small meteor that was home to what was once one of Danny Phantom's worst enemies: Ember McLain.

Upon reaching Ember McClain's home within the meteor, they entered the small, dingy home to find an overweight, intoxicated Ember McLain laying in her bed, and drinking Ecto-Cooler, an popular alcoholic, or, rather, 'ectoholic', beverage for ghosts. Next to her was a radio playing 'Shitlist' by L7, on a volume level that would deafen many untrained ears.

Ember laid on the bed, belching loudly after drinking her Ecto-Cooler, taking at least several minutes before noticing the two figures standing in her doorway. Due to the large amounts of ectohol in her system, the figures only appeared to her as very vague blurs, not distinguishing them immediately.

"What do you two want?" Ember asked.

As Demon Phantom looked upon Ember with skepticism, now understanding his horseman's concerns, beginning to show second thoughts on his choice. After a minute of focusing carefully on the two figures in her room, Ember mistook Demon Phantom as her archnemesis, Danny Phantom, and reacted appropriately.

" _YOU?!_ What the hell are you doing here?!" Ember yelled.

"Ember McLain, the little girl who wanted the world to love her, but the boy known as Danny Phantom refused to let you have your way. How far you have fallen from your dreams." Demon Phantom said.

"Eat a dick, you asshole!"

Ember threw her can of Ecto-Cooler at Demon Phantom, hitting him in the head. As the can struck him, Demon Phantom acted like nothing happened, not even flinching at the impact.

"Perhaps we should seek someone else, my liege?" The Fright Knight asked.

"No need, perhaps I can make use of her yet." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom approached Ember McLain, standing alongside her bed to speak to her.

"You mistake me for the Phantom Child. I am not Danny Phantom. My name is Demon Phantom, a being from beyond your time. I am gathering a group of powerful ghosts to be my horsemen to bring the apocalypse to Earth. To rule both living and dead. Seeing your hatred of Danny Phantom, you could serve me as a way to exact your revenge on him. Become my horseman, and you will have your revenge on the Phantom." Demon Phantom said.

"Look at me, pal. Do I look powerful to you? My vocal chords are gone and my guitar broke. I've been just sitting here for the past 10 years chugging Ecto-Cooler. I don't have anything else. I can't even get my revenge if I wanted." Ember said.

"Not as you are, no. But with me, you can have powers that you may have only ever dreamed of before. You can become greater than you are."

"Get real, I can't get strong like I was in the old days. I'm finished. Just leave me alone."

Ember proceeded to float away, leaving her home in hopes that her unwanted guests would leave eventually. Demon Phantom, however, was not one to take 'no' for an answer.

Demon Phantom rushed to Ember, phasing his hand inside of her body, beginning to change her spectral form on a molecular level, changing Ember from the inside out. Ember, not prepared for this experience, screamed in immense pain, barely able to handle the radical change.

"You doubt your own power, child, a common mistake. However, more importantly, you doubt _my_ power." The Demon said.

By the Demon's will, Ember McLain became transforming tremendously. With her molecules rearranging by Demon Phantom's abilities, Ember began to slim down and regress back to the days of her youth, her fat dwindling and redistributing to more acceptable areas. Her hair began returning from years of receding and glowed more vibrantly, flaming higher than before. Her attire transformed from oversized leisure wear into full punk-inspired clothing, making her look ready for battle.

At the end of her transformation, Demon Phantom released her, allowing her to catch her breath again. As Ember began to come back to her senses, she began to feel more energized and youthful again, a feeling she thought would never come in her life again.

"Wha... What did you do to me?" Ember asked.

Taking rock from a small meteorite nearby, Demon Phantom changed the molecular buildup of the rock into glass, forming a mirror in front of Ember.

"See for yourself, child." The Demon said.

Upon looking in the mirror, Ember found herself in a complete state of disbelief, shocked that the reflection she was looking at actually her. She looked just like she did 10 years ago, youthful, beautiful, and stronger than ever.

"Do you like what you see?" The Demon asked.

Feeling a youthful perversion that she had not had for years, Ember felt herself unable to resist the temptation to feel her new body, focusing on her breasts and buttocks, satisfied with her new look.

"Oh, yeah. Very much. Now, what was that you needed about getting back at Danny Phantom?" Ember asked.

"I am gathering four followers to aid me in bringing about my rule over the living and the dead. Your rewards will be great and unmeasured, having your own domain over part of the living world for yourself." Demon Phantom said.

"Killing Danny Phantom and sending his ghost half to Oblivion is enough for me. Now, if I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna need a new axe."

Demon Phantom complied with her wish, materializing a new guitar out of the surrounding meteorites, creating a new guitar suited for all of Ember's destructive powers.

"But of course, you are an artist, and every artist needs her instrument. You, my dear, shall now be known as Famine, my new horsewoman." The Demon said.

Demon Phantom gave the newly materialized guitar to Ember, who immediately played a power chord, causing it to shatter several meteorites both nearby and far away. Never had never experienced this much power before, Ember found herself more than willing to serve her new master.

"So, where do we get started?" Ember asked.

"Excellent question. It is time for us to collect the most important two horsemen of all: War and Death." Demon Phantom said.

* * *

Back inside Fenton Tower, as Danny helped his parents complete the Specter Deflector, progress moved slowly but more surely than before on the project.

"Got it yet, mom?" Danny asked.

Maddie Fenton, struggling to fit a piece into the Specter Deflector, was just seconds away from finally finishing the anti-ghost weapon. After successfully installing the needed piece into the Specter Deflector, the weapon was finally completed, causing it to light up and hum quietly.

"Got it! About time, too." Maddie said.

"You said it. I'm just glad you actually made something that looks like it should be called 'The Specter Deflector', not that old belt you made before." Danny said.

"That was Jack's idea. He never comes up with good names. That's why I renamed it the Ecto-Dampening Belt and call this the Specter Deflector. Now to give the real Specter Deflector a test run."

"Test run? We don't have any test subjects in custody right now. I just sent those ghosts I caught today back into the Ghost Zone."

"Oh. Well, I hate to ask this, but could you be the test subject?"

"Me?! Again?! I hate being the test subject. All your inventions hurt like hell."

"Well, that's the point, sweetie, otherwise it wouldn't ward off a ghost. Please, for me?"

After giving in to his mother's pleas, Danny reluctantly agreed to help test the Specter Deflector. After removing his safety glove, Danny stuck his hand inside the Specter Deflector's beam net; his hand harmlessly passing through.

"Whew, well, I guess it doesn't work, it was a good try-" Danny tried to say.

"Danny. You need to be in ghost form in order for the test to work." Maddie said.

After giving a long sigh of annoyance and anxiety, Danny reluctantly changed to his ghost form, now ready to test the Specter Deflector. Upon trying to place his hand on the beam net, Danny was immediately knocked several feet back upon touching the beam, causing him immense pain as it knocked him back.

After being knocked back, Danny found himself knocked into a pile of boxes filled with spare parts, groaning in pain from the unpleasant experience. After losing all his concentration after the event, Danny unconsciously turned back to his human form, still in pain from the test.

"Wonderful! The test was a complete success! We'll be ready to sell the first version within the month!" Maddie exclaimed.

Danny gave a loud groan of pain from the pile of displaced boxes.

"Oh, and it's all thanks to you, Danny." Maddie said.

" _I hate this job._ " Danny muttered.

"I love this job!"

As Danny laid in annoyance and pain at the experiment's success at his expense, Jazz entered the room in search of Danny, only to find him on the floor, not knowing the events that led to this scenario.

"So, do I wanna know what happened here?" Jazz asked.

"Mom had me test a new ghost weapon... again." Danny said.

"Again? You really don't learn, do you?"

"I guess not. What do you want?"

"Something came up in the Ghost Zone. Something weird."

"How weird?"

"You better come take a look."

A few moments later, Danny met with his sister inside the main computer room, where Jazz continued her duties operating the Fentons' core supercomputer, the Mass Information Sentient Terminal and Ectomorphic Registry, or M.I.S.T.E.R. for short. On the main screen, Jazz began to pull up findings of rather peculiar news regarding the Ghost Zone.

"M.I.S.T.E.R., pull up your findings from 22:03 hours." Jazz said.

" _Retrieving the files, Jazz._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. replied.

"I don't get why you have to keep talking to him in military time. He understands regular time just fine." Danny said.

" _I would not recommend pointing out this anomalous behavior trait in your sibling, Master Daniel, the effects of presenting the logical solution to this issue do not achieve the desired effect, it only results in Miss Jasmine engaging in diatribes on how she wishes to continue this 'because it's fun', as she says._ "

"Can the smart talk and give me the readings. This is kind of important. And don't call me Jasmine." Jazz protested.

" _As you wish, Miss Jasmine. Here are the readings that I have taken from a particular spectral individual in the Ghost Zone that does not match any readings of any known ghost that we have previously documented The ectokinetic energy readings that this specter emits is the highest in recorded history, outmatching Master Daniel's by at least twofold._ "

Danny and Jazz both found themselves in extreme disbelief, not easy to accept that there now existed a stronger ghost than Danny Phantom.

"That can't be right. Check it again." Danny said.

" _Miss Jasmine gave me the same order upon viewing my readings, and I double-checked upon my first reading, and triple-checked the following reading, as part of my programming. My sensors are all functioning correctly, and there are no software errors within my operating system. I have checked, double-checked, and triple-checked._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

"Well, then, take a look right now!"

" _As you wish, Master Daniel. I will display you live reading within the Ghost Zone. Everything you see is current and ongoing._ "

M.I.S.T.E.R. changed his display to the current readings in the Ghost Zone, showing the same readings as before, further pushing Danny into a state of disbelief.

"M.I.S.T.E.R., is the Fenton Portal working?" Danny asked.

" _As always, Master Daniel._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. replied.

"I want to go in for a recon mission, find out what this thing is."

" _Very well, Master Daniel. I will prepare the portal for your entry at once._ "

"Danny, wait! What are you doing?" Jazz protested.

"What do you think I'm doing? If there's something out there that's more powerful than me, I wanna see what it is, and, more importantly, how we're gonna stop it." Danny replied.

"But you have no idea what to expect! You could seriously hurt yourself."

"Look, Jazz, I appreciate that you're still trying to look out for me, but I can handle this. It's just like we did in the old days. One quick look, and I'm back in, I promise."

Despite Jazz's sisterly instincts, she finally gave in and gave Danny a hug, giving him her blessing to go.

"Okay, just be safe. But what am I gonna do with Sam?" Jazz asked.

"Just watch a DVD of that My Chemical Romance concert with her, she likes that." Danny said.

"Definition: 'My Chemical Romance' not found. Did you mean: 'My Chemical Castration'?"

" _Miss Jasmine, that is not the definition of 'My Chemical Romance', nor is there an existing band known as 'My Chemical Castration'._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. added.

As Danny suited himself for his recon mission with several items for his own protection, he prepared to enter the Fenton Portal for the first time in several years, ready to face the undead menaces within yet again.

" _Master Daniel, will you be requiring Item G-B84?_ " M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.

"The Infi-Map? What for?" Danny asked.

" _You have not entered the Ghost Zone for several years. Your memory of the layout of the Ghost Zone may have left you, and the layout of the Ghost Zone itself may have changed. A navigational tool would exponentially increase the chances of you making your return home._ "

"Oh, good point. Give it to me."

M.I.S.T.E.R. lowered a robotic arm from the ceiling, bringing down the Infi-Map from its place in storage for Danny to use, still well-kept from its days of preservation.

"Anything you need from me before I get back?" Danny asked.

" _According to my life-sign sensors, I have gathered that your wife, Sam Manson Fenton, is pregnant. Judging from my surveillance systems, you have not informed the rest of your family of this news. Am I correct in gathering you wish this to remain a secret?_ " M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.

"You are very much correct. The last thing I want to do is my whole family jumping in on the whole bandwagon of 'Oh, we're having a baby!', or, 'We're gonna be grandparents!' thing. You know how parents are."

" _I do not know the behavioral patterns of a parent via personal experience, as I am an artificial intelligence and I was not conceived by such methods. However, viewing your parents' eccentric behavior and seeing the elevated levels of stress they cause to your body, I understand your concerns of self-preservation._ "

"You know, M.I.S.T.E.R., you really need to work on your smaller sentences, sound a human being once and a while. See you later."

Danny rushed through the portal, setting off to find the source of the unexplained ectoplasmic phenomenon. M.I.S.T.E.R., not having anyone else to assist at that moment, simply was left to operate on his own.

" _Perhaps it would be in my best interest if I designed a form of self-entertainment during these long hours. It is times like these that I dislike being trapped in this computer._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

* * *

Within the Ghost Zone, on a floating meteorite home to a thick jungle filled with flora and fauna extinct to time, lays the home and game trail of Skulker, the undead manhunter. Where man was once the most dangerous game to him during his time of living, now, in his afterlife, the undead are the most dangerous game.

On this island, however, his prey is not in his environment in this thick jungle, outside of his element of technology and power. This prey is the man known as Technus, and, here, he proves himself to be Skulker's least dangerous game.

In his time of living, Nikolai Technus was a genius inventor, an innovator ahead of his time, brought down by big bankers and their petty interests. In his afterlife, he swore to exact his revenge on those who destroyed his dream, being a vengeful force against capital greed, losing sight of technology's purpose for the good of humanity.

Here and now, in the thick jungle of Skulker's Island, these factors no longer matter. There is only one thought, one mantra that runs through Technus' mind: survive. Here, he is without any technology to manipulate and any external help, making this trial to survive a true test of his abilities.

Running through the jungle from his hunter, Technus carelessly set off a tripwire on the jungle floor, triggering a trap that launched several darts toward him. Technus, having just barely enough time to react, managed to duck away from the onslaught of venomous darts.

Technus, still needing to survive, continued running further in vain, only to set off another tripwire. After nothing immediately happened, Technus foolishly believed that this trap was a dud, taking a moment to breathe. His beliefs of safety are soon shattered, however, as a large log fell down from the trees on a vine, heading straight toward him.

Not able to process the threat as it approached him, the log hit Technus with full force, knocking him back several feet, hitting a rock, knocking all the breath out of him and leaving him unable to move or defend himself.

As Technus laid on the ground in pain, unable to move he heard a loud engine roar in the distance, growing louder and louder, signifying the approach of a coming threat. Needing to get away, Technus used whatever control of his arms were left, crawling to an area of safety.

Despite his best efforts to find an area of safety, his best efforts are not good enough.

Finally, after several struggling moments of anxiety, the source of the loud roaring noise reached Technus, revealing both the threat and the last sight he will ever see before he sees Oblivion. The threat is none other than Skulker, the undead manhunter, now riding a large chopper, decorated with the skulls and bones of his past prey.

Some skulls hung on the side of his bike, with the names of their past owners written on their foreheads. Among a few of the names were: 'Lunch Lady', 'Box Ghost', 'Sidney Poindexter', 'Kitty', and 'Ghost Writer'.

"You truly are the weakest prey I've ever had the _dis_ honor of hunting. I can't believe you stood a chance against that Ghost Boy in the old days." Skulker said.

Despite Technus' intense fear, he did his best to camouflage his fear with a facade of superiority.

"I am Technus! The master of all things mechanical! You are no match for me! I am-" Technus began to say.

Technus' sentence was interrupted by Skulker stepping on his broken leg, causing him to scream in immense pain.

"There is no technology here, Technus, nothing here to help you. You are out of your territory. There are only trees and shrubbery here, this is territory. This is my world. This is my game reserve, and you are my game." Skulker said.

Skulker picked up Technus and laid him against the large rock, placing his boot to his neck and his gun to his head, ready to finish off his game and claim his trophy.

"And you are perhaps the _least_ dangerous game I've ever faced. Now, try not to struggle so I don't break anything. I plan to make your pelt a nice decoration on my wall next to Penelope's body." Skulker said.

As Technus clenched his teeth to brace himself for the coming pain of Oblivion, he had a certain realization with Skulker's last choice of words.

"Wait a minute, did you say: 'Penelope's _body_ '?" Technus asked.

"Of course, it's my trophy. I hunted her as I did you. And won as I did with you." Skulker said.

"But you didn't keep her alive?"

"I stopped keeping live prey 7 years ago. Too much cleanup."

"But why just leave her body lying around? What about taking her pelt? Isn't that what you usually do?"

"Well... uhh... I didn't with her."

"Well, then, what were you doing with her body this whole time? Just leaving it sitting around?"

Not wanting to answer the uncomfortable question, Skulker appeared more nervous, realizing that a very dark secret of his was about to be uncovered.

"Well, I, uh... I was planning to... um..." Skulker stuttered.

Upon realizing what insecurity was causing Skulker to trip over his own words, Technus appeared disgusted upon realizing the truth.

"Oy vey, you've been schtupping it?" Skulker asked.

Skulker blushed heavily underneath his metal suit; his deep, dark, and disturbing secret revealed.

"Well, Ember and I broke up, and I have needs that... Oh, just die, you useless scum!" Skulker said.

Skulker pressed his weapon hard against Technus' head, making him squirm in fear before he was sent to Oblivion.

"There's no need for that. I have uses for both of you." A voice said.

Both Skulker and Technus looked to the source of the voice, looking upon Demon Phantom, accompanied by the Fright Knight and Ember McLain, all watching the ordeal. Ember, having heard the confession from her ex-boyfriend, was not happy in the slightest at the revelation.

"Ember? What are you doing here? And why is the Fright Knight here, and who's this guy? And how did you get so thin again?" Skulker asked.

"I don't think you're in a position for friendly questions right now. You left me for Penelope's body? You have some serious issues, metal boy." Ember said.

"Well, you got so fat. You just weren't doing it for me anymore-"

"Oh, my god! Is there a time when looks _aren't_ everything to a guy?"

"Well, it wasn't just your looks, you just got to lay there while I had to do all the work! This metal body can only take so much!"

"Oh, so that suit's good enough to fight off Danny Phantom with, but when you and I have sex, it can only take so much? And that's another thing, what's with that new, bigger suit, anyway? You compensating for something?"

"Are you accusing me of having a small-"

As Skulker and Ember bickered over their failed relationship like two immature children, Demon Phantom and the Fright Knight grew extremely annoyed with the idiotic conversation, looking to each other in disbelief that the events occurring before them were real.

After several minutes of torment on his ears, Demon Phantom grew fed up with their fight, putting an end to the inane bickering.

" _ENOUGH!_ " Demon Phantom screamed.

Demon Phantom's scream grew so loud, it pierced the eardrums of all the ghosts within several miles of the island, even blowing several trees off the island into the infinite void of the Ghost Zone.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Ghost Zone, Danny Phantom, still on his search for the source of the anomalous spike of ectoplasmic energy, caught himself in something of a rut, not able to find the source of the energy on his trackers.

"This is crazy. An amount of ectoplasmic energy that high, how is this thing not finding it? I swear, mom and dad wouldn't know how to make a good ghost tracker if it hit them in the face." Danny complained.

As Danny lamented over his seemingly defective technology, his particular choice of words was made prophetic as a large leaf hit him in the face, catching him off-guard for a moment.

After overcoming the initial surprise of the leaf hitting his face, Danny removed the leaf from his face, confused about its origin and its seemingly random course through the Ghost Zone.

"A leaf? What the hell are leaves doing flying through the Ghost Zone? Are the natrual waste trash guys on strike?" Danny joked.

Upon thinking further on why a leaf would be in the Ghost Zone, Danny consulted the Infi-Map, checking on any locations that may be host to flora and fauna. Sure enough, lying only a few miles away from him was Skulker's Island, known for its plethora of extinct plant life.

"So, Skulker's in trouble? Maybe he won't mind a quick visit if he's got any helpful information." Danny said.

Wasting no more time on his recon mission, Danny began to fly straight for Skuker's Island, ready to investigate.

"Besides, it's only Skulker. How bad could things get?" Danny wondered.

* * *

Back on Skulker's Island, things for Danny prepare to go from very bad to much worse.

"Quite a scream you've got, pal, but you wiped out half my hunting grounds. Care to explain why you trashed my home and brought my ex-girlfriend here before I mount your head on my wall?" Skulker asked.

"I am from another time, and I plan to overtake the worlds of the living and the dead. I came here because seek I servants, four horsemen to my apocalypse that I wish to unleash upon the Earth, and I choose you." Demon Phantom said.

"Me? And what makes you think I would be willing to serve you?"

" _You?_ He was clearly talking about me, Nicolai Technus, master of technology!" Technus interrupted.

"He saw me clearly defeat you. There's no way he'd ever want you-"

"I want you both. As one." The Demon said.

Not understanding the Demon's statement, Skulker and Technus looked confused, curious what he meant.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Danny Phantom flew behind the towering mountain on Skulker's Island, witnessing the events unfolding. Upon seeing his evil counterpart, Danny's jaw immediately dropped, not expecting to ever see a threat like him ever appear again.

 _No... No... Not him... It can't be... I stopped him..._ Danny thought.

"Both of us? As one?" Skulker and Technus asked in unison.

"You, Skulker, use a suit with the most advanced technology to hunt your prey; and you, Technus, are the master of technology. Doesn't it seem obvious?" The Demon asked.

Before the two could answer, Demon Phantom grabbed them both, lifting them both in the air, catching the two off-guard.

"Alone, you are weak, a weapon and a hunter. Together, you are war incarnate!" Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom slammed his hands together, merging the two ghost together as one, causing a painful transformation between them both, causing them both to scream in pain. As the transformation took place, Danny continued watching from behind the mountain, shocked at the events he was witnessing.

After the pain fusion between the two came to an end, the two once-enemies came together to create an entirely new being, one born of Skulker's viciousness and Technus' genius. This new being now had a green glow to his suit and several new weapons, armed to the teeth with more weapons than anyone could even imagine.

While not noticed by the others, Ember McLain found Skulker's new look more appealing than she was expecting, finding herself to have something of a... ectoplasmic discharge, discreetly pretending to sneeze to camoflauge her actual reaction.

"You are not Skulker, and you are not Technus. You... are SkullTech." Demon Phantom said.

"Yes, such power! I could have never imagined such power if I had just joined with Technus rather than just kill him! Thank you for this gift, master. I swear my allegiance to you." SkullTech said.

"From now on, you are my horseman of War. After all, every war needs a general."

"Just please tell me, what is your name? You remind me of the Ghost Boy, Danny Phantom, but you are not him. My scanners show me that your ectoplamic levels far outmatch that of the boy's."

"How observant you are, SkullTech. In one timeline, I was known as Danny Phantom, but my timeline no longer exists. There has been a change which has led to the circumstances of my existence as an anomaly to time. My name is Demon Phantom."

" _Demon_ Phantom? I take it originality is not your strongest suit."

"Perhaps not, but redundancy has always proven time and time again to be effective, as evidenced by the arrival of a certain individual and a tool in his possession of my needs."

On the mountain which Danny observed the events below from, Demon Phantom teleported behind Danny, catching him off-guard, bringing him down to the ground to the others. Despite Danny's struggles to be free, Demon Phantom's grip was far too tight for him to escape.

Upon reaching the ground, SkullTech, Ember, and the Fright Knight readied their weapons, ready to kill Danny Phantom once and for all. Before they could kill him, however, Demon Phantom raised his hand, stopping them all before they could carry the act through.

"Not yet. We will kill him in due time. All is moving according to plan." Demon Phantom said.

"What?! We've got him right here, what are you waiting for?" Ember asked.

"I agree, my liege, one swift cut to his neck will end all opposition to our quest." The Fright Knight said.

"I third that, not to mention I want to finally have his pelt on my wall." SkullTech said.

"No! Not yet. All in due time. For now, he has brought us the next piece of our plan." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom took the Infi-Map from Danny's pocket, much to Danny's distress.

"No! Give it back! Let me go!" Danny yelled.

Demon Phantom tossed Danny to the ground, ordering his horsemen to back up to allow him back up on his feet.

"As busy as I am on my own agenda, I suppose I have time to entertain your requests. I shall make you a deal: Defeat me, and you shall have your map back." Demon Phantom said.

Danny accepted the Demon's challenge, wasting no time by immediately rushing towards him with several ghost blasts straight at his chest; none of them having any effect, leaving Demon Phantom to only stand and accept the attack in mockery.

Taking a different approach, Danny charged up his hands with ectoplasmic energy, beginning to land several punches to Demon Phantom's chest, none of them still having any effect. Demon Phantom, growing bored of Danny's futile attack, grabbed both of his hands and twisted them upwards, bringing Danny to his knees, groaning in pain.

"It seems your lack of challenge has left you weak; your so-called peace has made you grow old and slow." Demon Phantom mocked.

"I'm in my 20s and I'm married. Wait 'til you see me have kids, I'll probably have a beer gut and be on the couch 24/7 watching football." Danny joked.

Demon Phantom delivered a sharp kick to Danny's face, knocking him on his back, barely holding on to his consciousness.

"I see you always remained the joker, scoffing off all your threats with a smile. But we both know it was all to camouflage your moments of weakness, don't we, Danny?" The Demon asked.

"Camouflage this, Snow White and the Three Stooges." Danny said.

Danny reached for the Fenton Thermos on his belt, only to find that it was missing. Upon looking back to Demon Phantom, he saw that his dark half was holding the thermos in his hand, giving a smug smirk. The Demon threw it to Ember, who caught it with care.

"Ember, would you do the honors?" The Demon asked.

Ember immediately followed her orders by opening the thermos and pointing it directly at Danny Phantom, trapping him inside, despite his best attempts to get away and his cries of help.

"How's that feel, dipstick? You know how crowded it is in there?" Ember asked.

Demon Phantom took the thermos from Ember, preparing to throw it out into the Ghost Zone, beridding them of Danny Phantom temporarily.

"Don't worry, I'll throw you back in your precious home, giving you just enough time to bid your goodbyes to your family before I destroy them all." Demon Phantom said.

After carefully aiming his throw, Demon Phantom threw the thermos deep into the Ghost Zone, where it eventually came through a spontaneous portal opening straight into Fenton Tower, sending Danny home.

"Now, what, my liege?" The Fright Knight asked.

"Now, with the Infi-Map in my possesion, we retrieve the last and most important horseman: Death." Demon Phantom said.

"And who're we getting for Death? I've pretty much killed off most of the good ones." SkullTech asked.

"Not all. There is one more, perhaps the strongest of all of us."

"Yeah? Who's that?" Ember asked.

"Let's just say he's like a father to me."

Demon Phantom took the Infi-Map and opened it, ordering it to take the group to the location of their last recruit, the horseman of Death.

"Take me to Vlad Masters." The Demon said.

Obeying his command, the Infi-Map took the group of four across the Ghost Zone and across the stars, sending them to the distant planet of Carcerem, leading them to Vlad Masters.


	6. Chapter 5: Total Recall

**CHAPTER 5: TOTAL RECALL**

At the towering skyscraper known as Fenton Tower, in the personal entertainment room for the Fenton family, Jazz Fenton and Sam Manson Fenton both sat back in the theater, finally reaching the end of several long concert video of My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, and numerous other mediocre emo bands of the late 2000s.

For Jazz Fenton, the numerous concert videos were something akin to her own personal hell, disliking the bands for all sounding exactly the same and their lyrical content on the creative level of a slightly depressed 14-year old boy. For Sam Manson Fenton, the concert videos were a personal blast from her past, reminding her of days when she was young and dumb as a teenager, viewing Jazz's suggestions to watch the concerts with her as a sisterly bonding experience, as the two were in-laws.

Despite enjoying the concert videos, even Sam could only handle so much distractions, wanting to see Danny again.

"As much as I'm enjoying this moment of sisterly bonding, do you think we could take a break? I really need to talk to Danny." Sam said.

Jazz did not hear Sam's question, as she was fast asleep and far from conscious from the boring experience she was going through.

"Jazz?" Sam asked.

Sam's questions were still unheard, as Jazz was still fast asleep.

"JAZZ!" Sam yelled.

Out of surprise from the unexpected shout, Jazz was quickly awakened from her sleep, now at full attention to Sam's question.

"What?! What?! Are there ghosts in the base?!" Jazz asked.

"No. You fell asleep when I tried to ask you something." Sam said.

"Oh. Well, you got me up. What's the problem?"

"What's my problem? What's my problem?! We've been sitting here for 4 hours, and Danny's _still_ not back yet!"

"He probably got turned around some point on the way back, he'll be back soon enough-"

"You said that after the first video! Why is Danny so _LATE?!_ What if I was in pain and hurting, and he wasn't there?! Is that an excuse?!"

"Whoa, Sam, calm down. He's just trying to keep us safe from some threat in the Ghost Zone, stuff like that is no big deal to him, just take it easy-"

"Take it easy?! _TAKE IT EASY?!_ I CAN'T TAKE IT EASY! I NEED HIM HERE, NOW!"

After Sam made Jazz step back after her unstable rant, Sam then began to feel some very unpleasant cramps in her stomach, making her need to sit back down. While attempting to ignore the pain of the cramps, she began to feel very bizarre hunger cravings seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh, god, I'm so hungry. I need some chocolate. Better yet, some chocolate ice cream and a jar of pickles. And eggs with peppers drowned in cheese." Sam said.

"Whoa, Sam, what's with the sudden case of the munchies? And how are you hungry while simultaneously having stomach pains? And what's with the mood swings? And why are you-" Jazz began to asked.

As Jazz began to continue her rant, she suddenly realized what the specific list of eccentricities meant, beginning to answer her own question. Upon realizing the problem, Jazz looked to Sam with a huge smile. Sam, not understanding Jazz's sudden change in attitude, was left hopelessly confused.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sam asked.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Jazz asked.

Not expecting Jazz to figure out her secret so fast, Sam found herself completely unprepared and flustered, not knowing how to react to the situation.

"Wha- What?! Pregnant?! Me?! Why the hell would you think that?!" Sam asked.

"Sam. Sammy. Girl, stop lying. You've got a bun in the oven, don't you?" Jazz asked.

Accepting that Jazz knew the truth and that there was no way to keep her secret secure from her any longer, Sam gave a deep breath, uneasily admitting the truth.

"Okay, yes. I'm pregnant. Are you happy?" Sam asked.

"Happy? Not at all. _I'M ECSTATIC!_ " Jazz yelled.

Jazz immediately grabbed Sam in a hug and lifted her in the air in the hug, forgetting about Sam's well-being in her moment of excitement. Sam, struggling to breath from Jazz's iron-grip hug, just barely managed to struggle out the sufficient words to signify her troubles.

" _Jazz... Can't breathe... Please let go now..._ " Sam said.

Upon realizing her mistake, Jazz let go of Sam, allowing her to catch her breath again after several long deep inhales.

"Whoops! Sorry, got a little ahead of myself. I'm just really excited to be an aunt!" Jazz said.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me breathe long enough to make sure you get that far." Sam said.

"So, when did you first find out? Is it a boy or a girl? How did it happen- Wait, never mind that last question, I don't want to know that part- Do mom and dad know? Are they planning-"

Sam placed her hand over Jazz's mouth, putting a temporary end to her continuous flow of questions.

"I found out a few days ago, I don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, and mom and dad _don't_ know, and I'd like to keep it that way for at least a little while." Sam said.

" _Buh whuh fur? They cnn hnndul the troof._ " Jazz said.

Sam removed her hand from Jazz's mouth, allowing her to speak normally again.

"What did you say?" Sam asked.

"I said, 'But what for? They can handle the truth.'" Jazz said.

"Jazz, _you_ can't handle the truth. You nearly choked me to death 3 seconds ago. Jack and Maddie would go apeshit. They'd start planning the baby shower, a college fund, and booking birthdays 1 through 26 all at once if I told them."

"But college's state-funded now, we don't need a college fund. Besides, we're rich and we practically own every college in America since we fund them all for our tech."

"Still, they'd just get ahead of themselves way too fast as usual. I just wanted to keep this between me and Danny, but now you have to promise me you're not gonna tell anyone either. Do you promise me?"

Jazz took a long moment to answer, thinking over the situation and her choice options. After a moment to think, Jazz gave her answer.

"Okay, okay. I'll keep it a secret." Jazz said.

"Good. Thank you." Sam said.

"Oh, but I'm still so excited! I'm gonna be an aunt! I can't wait for all the family get-togethers, to be able to look at my little niece or nephew!"

"What do you mean, 'family get-togethers'? We all live here."

"What about your family? Don't they want to see their new grandbaby?"

"Believe me. My parents didn't know a thing about me raising me. They wouldn't know how to handle a grandchild if it hit them in the head."

Elsewhere, during the conversation, a rift between the Ghost Zone and the real world opened, and through it came a stray Fenton Thermos, containing a rather displeased Danny Phantom within.

After making its way through the portal, it made its way into the Fenton Tower through the main hangar, through another door, and into the entertainment room, hitting Jazz Fenton in the back of the head.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Jazz asked.

"What? What happened?" Sam asked.

"Something hit me in the head. Real interesting choice of words you picked there."

"What?! I didn't do this, I don't even know what happened."

The two of them looked to the floor to find the object which struck Jazz in the head, both becoming extremely baffled upon discovering that the object was a Fenton Thermos, not knowing how it had gotten there.

"What happened? A ghost we forgot to send back?" Sam asked.

"No, we only had those few captures earlier, and I sent them back personally. This shouldn't be here." Jazz said.

Wanting to investigate the rogue Fenton Thermos, Jazz picked up the thermos, walking straight into the computer room with Sam following, taking it directly to M.I.S.T.E.R. for analysis.

"M.I.S.T.E.R., what's in this thermos?" Jazz asked.

M.I.S.T.E.R. took the thermos with a robotic hand from the ceiling, inserting the thermos in a server port.

" _One moment, Miss Jasmine. I am analyzing this rogue specimen now._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

After a few seconds of analyzing the ectoplasmic signature of the being stored inside the thermos, M.I.S.T.E.R. came to a quick conclusion about the contained ghost.

" _Miss Jasmine, it seems that the ectoplasmic entity encapsulated in this Fenton Thermos is, in fact, Master Daniel._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. replied.

"Danny?! How'd he get himself stuck in there?" Jazz asked.

" _I am not sure, Miss Jasmine. Master Daniel surely has more competence than to get himself caught within his own equipment._ "

"Does it matter? Get him out of there!" Sam said.

" _Affirmative, Miss Samantha._ "

At his orders, M.I.S.T.E.R. opened the Fenton Thermos, allowing Danny Phantom a way out of the thermos. With the top of the thermos remomed, Danny wasted no time to escape, immediately rushing out of it and instantly falling to the floor, breathing heavily from the lack of air.

" _Really... Forgot... How stuffy... They are..._ " Danny said.

"Danny! What happened?!" Sam asked.

After taking a minute to catch his breath, Danny finally mustered up enough oxygen to rise to his feet, finally able to reply.

"Really bad problem... Dark Danny... He's back..." Danny said.

Upon realizing his own words, Danny immediately rushed to the presidential hotline on the wall, wasting no time to inform President Foley about the dire situation.

"Crap! Dark Danny! I gotta get some outside help!" Danny said.

As Danny dialed the phone to contact the president, Jazz found herself in absolute fear at the words that came out of Danny's mouth, while Sam was left confused, uninformed of the danger.

"Wait, who's Dark Danny? And why's he a big deal?" Sam asked.

"Long story short, he's an evil version of Danny from another timeline where he merged with Vlad and destroyed the world." Jazz said.

"And how do you know about him and I don't?"

"Timeline was altered. Not that it matters now if he's back."

"Not now, you two, I gotta call in the big guns." Danny said.

As Danny dialed the presidential hotline, he impatiently awaited his intended conversational partner to answer the phone. On the other side of the line, however, trouble was brewing to prevent that goal from consummating.

In the capital city of Washington, D.C., the White House has been home to over 46 presidents, some revered as heroes to the country, others branded as traitors and corrupt men not worthy of office. Residing as president number 47, coasting off the edge of his second term, President Tucker Foley has had a track record of historical landmarks in his political career.

In 2021, barely a year into his first term as president, he became the first president to legalize marijuana, naming Febuary 6th as Bob Marley Day as a national holiday for citizens to consume marijuana in celebration of the singer.

In 2022, he introduced a green new deal for the country, reducing the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by 20%, significantly decreasing climate change.

In 2023, he created the first medicare-for-all and free college-for-all systems to the United States, making the U.S. the greatest nation on Earth once again, and making his 2024 re-election a guaranteed win overnight.

However, as he became revered for his great accomplishments as president, his career began to take a downturn with the praise going to his head, becoming something of a 'rockstar' president.

In 2025, he annexed Cuba as the 51st U.S. state with the sole purpose of constructing himself a vacation home, a controversial move across the globe and among his supporters and opponents.

Since this last act, many of his political decisions have been poor and based not in corruption, but immaturity and childishness, having achieved absolutely nothing in the past two years.

Where the White House was once a place of respect and significant history, it has been reduced to President Foley's personal one-man frat house.

[Soundtrack Cue: Snoop Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name)?]

Inside the White House, President Tucker relaxed in the Oval Office, not sitting at a desk, but laying in a hot tub with several attractive models, all of them smoking marijuana and drinking Dom Pérignon like soda. Mounted on the wall was an 8k television, playing low-budget sci-fi movies, a long-time favorite of Foley since his teen years.

"Man, I can't believe I didn't legalize weed sooner! No wonder kids lobby for this stuff! It just makes Cyborg Ninja Commando 3 all the better to watch!" President Foley said.

As President Foley laughed at his own unfunny joke, too high to articulate an actual joke, the numerous models also giggled at his joke, all laying on him and rubbing his chest.

"Oh, Mr. President, I can't believe that you're the first unmarried president ever. Who knew that such an interesting man could remain single all this time?" One model asked.

"Well, why settle for one First Lady when I can have three, four, five, or maybe twenty?"

President Foley and the models laughed, all continuing to enjoy their subpar film, enhanced by marijuana and champagne. As they all continued their fun, a Secret Service agent approached President Foley, handing him the presidential hotline, having to answer it for him.

"Mr. President, sir, Danny Fenton is on the line for you." The agent said.

"Danny Fenton? My man, bring it here, Jerry!" President Foley said.

The Secret Service agent handed President Foley the phone, who took several minutes to muster enough of his motor functions to reach the phone, making the agent's job more tedious and annoying. As President Foley finally reached the phone, he laid back down to talk to Danny.

"Yo, Jerry, you wanna bring me some FunYums and Cherry Twisters? Me and the girls are getting kinda hungry." President Foley asked.

"Coming right up, sir. And my name is Tedison, sir." The agent said.

The Secret Service agent left the room to retrieve the snacks for his boss, leaving President Foley to talk in peace.

"Danny boy, what's up?" President Foley asked.

* * *

[Soundtrack Volume Decreases]

Back at Fenton Tower, the loud hip-hop music continued to blare loudly over the phone, making President Foley's voice unintelligible to the other side of the line.

"Tucker? Tucker?! Can you hear me?" Danny asked.

" _Yo, Danny, I can barely hear you, can you speak up?_ " President Foley asked.

"Tucker, can you turn down that music? I can't hear a thing!"

* * *

[Soundtrack Normal Volume]

Back at the White House, President Foley met with Danny's request to continue the conversation.

"Oh, right, one second." President Foley said.

Taking the remote from the side of the hot tub, President Foley muted the stereo in the Oval Office, allowing a more suitable conversation between the two.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

"Alright, Danny, talk to me." President Foley said.

* * *

"Tucker, I need you to declare a state of emergency." Danny said.

* * *

"A state of emergency? My man, you are way too worried 'bout things in life. Trust me, like Marley said, 'every little thing gonna be alright'. I gave him his own holiday for a reason."

* * *

Danny, not making any progress with his supposedly resourceful best friend, became annoyed by the unhelpfulness of President Foley.

"Tucker! This is serious business. This is the biggest threat I've ever faced before. I though he wouldn't be back, but now he is and I can't stop him. I need the Ecto Corps over here now." Danny said.

" _Mr. President, is that really Danny Phantom? Could you get me a meeting with him? I have a tattoo of him real personal that I'd like to show him._ " A feminine voice said.

" _Hey, c'mon, baby, I'm the president, don't you wanna show it to me?_ " President Foley said.

"What the- Tucker! Are you throwing parties in the White House again? Do you have any idea what that does to your approval ratings?" Danny asked.

* * *

"Hey, man, do I tell you how to catch ghosts? No, so don't tell me how to president the U.S. of A., okay?" President Foley said.

* * *

"Fenton Works makes up half the country's GNP, I think I may know a little more about politics than you Tucker. You keep this up, you're not gonna last long out there."

* * *

"What the hell's the difference? I can't run for a third term anyway."

* * *

"Yeah, Tucker, but- Hey, why am I talking to you about politics?! I need the Ecto Corps here now! Huge threat coming, I need help, please help me, how simple do I have to make it for you?!"

* * *

At the White House, the models began to pile themselves onto President Foley, all beginning to seduce him and distract him from the conversation.

"Yo, listen, Danny, I gotta go, big, important meeting, I'll call you later to see how it goes, bye!" President Foley said.

President Foley hung up the phone, bringing his full attention to the numerous attractive women accompanying him.

* * *

"Tucker, you-" Danny began to say.

Before Danny could vent his frustrations with President Foley to him directly, the dial tone began humming on the phone, telling Danny that he had hung up.

Annoyed with his seeming best friend's immaturity, Danny punched the wall, not able to gather necessary reinforcements to aid him in stopping Dark Danny and his group.

"Damn you, Tucker! Goddamn you! How hard is it to _RUN A GODDAMN GOVERNMENT WITHOUT ACTING LIKE A TOTAL MAN-CHILD?!_ " Danny screamed.

As Danny further vented his frustrations by repetitively kicking the wall, Jazz and Sam began to grow extremely scared of Danny's unusual reaction, never having seen him act so angry in his life before.

Sam, trying to calm her husband down, approached him and tried to reason with him about the matter.

"Danny, Danny! Please stop, it's okay, we don't need his help, we can stop them like we always do, just like we did in the old days-" Sam began to say.

"'Like we always do'?! Newsflash, Sam, none of you ever faced him before. None of you know how powerful he is. None of you even know _what_ he is! I can't stop him, so what makes you think you can?!" Danny yelled.

Danny, still enraged, began throwing over desks and knocking over various objects, continuing to scare Jazz and Sam further.

Sam, too emotionally unstable herself, was unable to continue watching the affair, beginning to cry. Danny, upon hearing her cry, began to stop his rampage, not wanting to scare his wife any further. Trying his best to calm her down, Danny immediately stopped and hugged Sam, slightly calming her down.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you acting like this?" Sam asked.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I just... I... I don't want to lose any of you." Danny asked.

"But why are you acting like this now? You never act like this."

"It's... It's because I'm scared. I'm scared of what might happen."

"But you always beat them, don't you?"

"I almost didn't. Not with this one. This one is different."

"How?"

Danny took a long moment before answering his wife's question, not ready to tell her the real reason he never explained the threat of Dark Danny before.

"He killed you. He killed everyone." Danny said.

"He- What?" Sam asked.

"He exists, his whole future existed because of an accident which created him. You, Jazz, mom, and dad died in his timeline, and he tried to do it again in this timeline to ensure he still existed. I just barely beat him, but I almost lost you all. After facing him earlier, I don't think I can beat him again. And I'm afraid you'll all die."

Danny, not prepared to share his biggest insecurity at that moment, began to tear up from the conversation.

" _I'm afraid you'll all- Oh, god..._ " Danny began to say.

Unable to finish his sentence, not able to imagine the worst-case scenario, Danny began to cry on Sam's shoulder, fearing that the past would repeat itself once again. Sam, trying to comfort her husband, hugged him tightly to calm him down.

"Hey, it's okay, we're not gonna die. Not this time. If this guy's really as powerful as you, then we'll all be here to help you beat him." Sam said.

In the background, several mechanical whirring and buzzing sounds were heard, catching the attention of the two. They both turned to see Jazz Fenton, suited up in a Fenton Peeler, armed and ready for the coming threat.

" _Well, I doubt your dark doppelganger's wasting his time to get here, so we'd better not waste our time to get ready for him. Don't you agree?_ " Jazz asked.

" _Master Daniel, if I may, with the remainder of the Fenton Family armed and ready for the coming threat, I calculate a 57% boost in favor of defeating the ectoformic threat._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. added.

After Danny looked at the odds in his head, thinking over how to prepare, Danny finally agreed with the others, ready to prepare for the threat of Dark Danny and his minions.

"Okay. Call mom and dad. We're gonna have a family meeting." Danny said.

* * *

 _Author's note: All dialogue in brackets [like this] represents when the characters are speaking in the Irken language._

On the distant planet named Carcerem, the prison planet of the Irken Empire, lunchtime comes to the prison, leading all prisoners to the canteen.

As usual, Vlad Plasmius, being the solitary man that he is, sat alone at a table on his own. No one dared to sit next to him, not even daring to look at him as he ate in peace.

One, however, was more daring, as Belasco took a seat next to him, approaching Vlad in a friendly manner.

"[Hey, Vamp, how's it hanging?]" Belasco asked.

Vlad didn't answer Belasco's question, instead continuing to focus on his food. Belasco, wanting to talk to his friend, tried a different approach to get Vlad to talk.

"[So, things have been going good since you offed Zuul. Nobody's messed with any of us recently. I guess the good times are rolling now, right?]" Belasco asked.

"[Why are you talking to me?]" Vlad asked.

"[What?]"

"[Why do you always talk to me, Belasco?]"

"[Well, you're my friend, aren't you?]"

"[I don't have friends. I just want to be left alone.]"

"[You can't just be left alone, man. You're the biggest guy in this place. By definition, nobody's gonna leave you alone. You're Vamp. You're the dude.]"

"[No, Belasco. I'm nobody. I don't remember how I got here. I don't remember anything about myself. I don't even remember what my name is. It's you people who call me Vamp.]"

"[You told me you were from Earth. That's a start, right? Not many people here heard of Earth before. Last things went around, the Irkens sent some loser named Zim there decades ago, never saw him again. They don't know a damn thing about Earth, and if you're really from there, Earth must be one hell of a place.]"

"[Well, 'hell' definitely sounds familiar about that place. It doesn't matter, I doubt there's anything of interest to me there anymore.]"

"[Really? Don't you want to know where you're from?]"

"[It doesn't matter where I'm from. The only thing that concerns me is what happens here and now, and nothing from Earth could possibly be coming here and now.]"

As if some kind of jinx was summoned by Vlad's words, a large flash occurred in the canteen, temporarily blinding all of the prisoners. When the whiteout in their eyes began to fade, restoring their vision, the guards and prisoners were all immediately met with the sight of Demon Phantom and his 3 horsemen standing in the middle of the canteen, observing the sights around them.

"Just where in the hell did that map take us?" Ember asked.

SkullTech took a look at his sensors, seeking out their location. Within a few seconds, SkullTech's sensors located the group in a completely different solar system, far away from their native solar system.

"Looks like we're on some alien prison planet called Carcerem." SkullTech said.

"It seems that the brutality of the prisons of Earth are something of a universal concept." The Fright Knight added.

Several guards immediately surrounded the group of ghosts from both the ground level and the top level, aiming their weapons at the group.

"[Get down on the ground and put your hands on your heads! Do it now, alien scum!]" One guard yelled.

"What the hell did that thing just say?" Ember asked.

"According to my translators, it gave us a threat to surrender or they'll shoot." SkullTech said.

"[Shut up and get down now! Last chance!]" The guard shouted.

"Shall I slay them, my liege?" The Fright Knight asked.

"Not just yet, let them shoot, see how good it does them." Demon Phantom said.

"[Okay, boys, drop them!]" The guard shouted.

The guards immediately opened fire on the group of ghosts, emptying all their ammunition reserves on their targets. When the smoke from their weapons began to clear, they soon found that their weapons had no effect on these particular intruders, as they were absolutely unaffected by their weapons, standing strong as if nothing happened.

The guards, never having a threat such as these, had no idea how to respond to these threats. Demon Phantom, eager to wreak havoc on this planet, knew exactly how to respond to their attack.

"Horsemen, go forth and have fun." Demon Phantom said.

At the Demon's orders, the 3 horsemen set out and begun their attack on the alien guards, unleashing their fury upon them. Ember McLain played an aggressive guitar solo, causing the foundation of the prison to destabilize, knocking most of the guards onto the floor. With most of their targets on the ground, unarmed, the majority of the guards became easy killings for SkullTech and the Fright Knight.

The Fright Knight, gracefully flying in the air, began slashing his sword through the numerous guards, lopping off arms, legs, heads, and other body parts with ease. With many of his targets befalling his blade so easily, the Fright Knight found himself thoroughly enjoying his onslaught, bringing terror and fear into his victims once again, regretting only that their moments of fear were only temporary before their death.

SkullTech, eager to try his new technology and weapons on his targets, revealed numerous weapons from his biomechanical suit, displaying machine guns, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, and many more manners of small-arms weapons. Far too ambitious to try as many as he could out, SkullTech fired all of them at once upon the guards as well as the escaping prisoners, slaughtering numerous guards by the masses.

Within seconds, the guards of the prison were all quickly dead, nothing more than a fleeting memory of a fight for the ghosts. While the other prisoners were far too afraid to face the ghosts, all rushing to take cover behind anything they could, Vlad continued to sit in his chair, unafraid, and finding some sort of familiarity with these ghosts.

As the ghosts began to approach him, Vlad continued to remain calm, patiently awaiting their approach.

"So, out of all the places you could have been for so many years, I must certainly admit that an alien prison was definitely not one of my prime candidates for searching." Demon Phantom said.

"[Is there a point to this conversation? I'm in the middle of lunch.]" Vlad said.

"I don't think he's in the mood for talking, boss. He says he wants to be left alone to eat." SkullTech translated.

"Leave you alone here? Have you truly become so lost in your life that you had to settle to rule the inside of this prison rather than all of Earth?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Actually, I don't remember who I am or who I got here. As for ruling this place, these people just put themselves under me. I didn't do anything here but just keep to myself." Vlad said.

"So, look at the great Vlad Masters, one of the richest men on the Earth, now a simple prisoner in this horrid planet, so disappointed with his past that he chooses to forget it."

Upon hearing the name that he was referred to, Vlad looked at Demon Phantom with an amused look.

"'Vlad Masters'? That's my name? And I thought 'Vamp' was stupid." Vlad said.

Upon hearing Vlad's particular response, Demon Phantom's expression begun with an initial confusion, then an amused smile, followed by a light chuckle.

"I don't believe it. You really don't remember who you are." The Demon said.

"And I don't care. Now leave me alone, will you? My Blorchian Rat's getting cold." Vlad said.

"Well, then, perhaps you'll care about this?"

At the Demon's orders, SkullTech displayed a hologram of Danny Fenton changing back and forth between his human form and to Danny Phantom, immediately catching Vlad's attention.

"Well, it seems that as much as you forgot, you still remember some of the most important things, don't you?" The Demon asked.

"Who is that kid? I keep seeing him in my head, but I can't place it. Do you know who he is?" Vlad asked.

"Step forward and I'll show you."

At Demon Phantom's request, Vlad reluctantly stepped forward, cautiously interested to see the details of his past. Demon Phantom slowly put his hands around Vlad's head, assuring him of his safety.

"This will feel a little strange, and, once you see what you are looking for, you may very well get angry." Demon Phantom warned.

"Just show me who he is and get it over with." Vlad said.

Demon Phantom followed through with the request, beginning to show Vlad his forgotten memories. Being a fusion of both Danny and Vlad's ghost halves, the Demon was able to show every last detail of Vlad's life back to him, just before the event which led to his birth.

As Vlad began regain his memories, being shown every detail with Danny ranging from the time when they first met up until their combined defeat of Pariah Dark, Vlad's remaining memories began to flood in, ranging from his unsuccessful attempts to clone Danny Phantom up until the events which led to his exile from Earth, Vlad began to grow uneasy, finding himself again.

Upon achieving total recall of his life, Vlad did what any person would do if they forgot who they were for 10 years. He completely lost control of himself.

Unleashing every bit of potential in his ghost powers, Vlad unleashed a complete maelstrom of ectoplasmic power, creating a blast that blew straight through the roof of the prison, blasting through several feet of thick metal, outmatching the power of 1,000 nuclear warheads.

" _ **DANNY PHANTOM! YOU SON OF A BITCH!**_ " Vlad screamed.

As Vlad continued his energy burst, the ectoplasmic blast had increased its range where it had blasted through one of the planet's moons, completely disintegrating it and beginning to reform as a ring.

After Vlad had unleashed 10 entire years of repressed rage and anger, Demon Phantom approached Vlad again, making his offer to join his cause.

"Now that you're back, how'd you like to get your revenge on Danny Phantom once and for all?" Demon Phantom asked.

"I've wanted to kill that pathetic kid since he first started interfering in my life. For the man who set me free? _I'll give you his head on a silver platter with a glass of wine._ " Vlad said.

Demon Phantom gave a smile, having easily secured his final horseman in his conquest for the worlds of the living and the dead.

"Good. Now, from this moment on, you will be my horseman of Death, the most valued of all my horsemen." The Demon said.

Out of the wreckage of the prison, Belasco managed to crawl out from the rubble, making his way to Vlad.

"[Wait, Vamp, I was good to you for years, take me with you! I can help you! Let me serve you!]" Belasco pleaded.

Vlad raised his palm to Belasco without a second thought, charging it with ectoplasmic energy. Belasco, knowing what would come of him next, found himself completely betrayed, not able to accept his untimely end.

"[Sorry, Belasco, but you were always a pathetic sycophant. You've outlived your usefulness to me.]" Vlad said.

Vlad unleashed the energy charge in his hand, firing it all on Belasco, the flame completely engulfing him. When the smoke began to clear and the energy faded, Belasco was now completely gone, his body disintegrated from the sheer power. Demon Phantom and the 3 remaining horsemen were impressed by his actions, not expecting him to be so eager to kill so easily.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Vlad asked.

"Yes, of course." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom took the Infi-Map from his pocket, giving it his next command to achieve his goals.

"Take us to Fenton Works." Demon Phantom said.

At the Demon's command, the Infi-Map transported the group of 5 ghosts to Earth, preparing to complete the first phase of Demon Phantom's plan to rule the worlds of the living and the dead.


	7. Chapter 6: The Fall of Olympus

**CHAPTER 6: THE FALL OF OLYMPUS**

At the technological tower known as Fenton Tower, many marvels of state-of-the-art technology are to be found, ranging from simple commodities like kitchen items to mass-produced military equipment for the next frontier of combat: the afterlife.

The producer of these wondrous marvels? The Fentons themselves, with some help by the greatest minds the world has to offer. With their combined brainpower and manpower, they have reached what may very well be the peak of what human technology could ever be capable of.

Within the tower, the Fentons wasted no time to prepare some of their most advanced prototypes for battle, thoroughly testing their numerous weapons for the oncoming fight with Demon Phantom and his 4 horsemen.

Maddie and Jazz, eager to try some of the equipment out for the first time on live, strong targets, thought of these moments not as a time of panic, but perhaps one of the best moments of their lives.

Danny, conversely, was still harboring anxieties about the coming fight, questioning whether all their efforts were good enough to stop the coming threat. Jack, wishing to find a good bonding moment with his son, put his hand on his shoulder to have a talk with him.

"I gotta hand it to you, Danny, nothing brings the family closer together than a paranormal threat from another dimension." Jack said.

Danny, slightly encouraged by his father's lighthearted humor about the situation, gave a bittersweet smile, alleviating some of his troubles.

"Thanks, Dad." Danny replied.

"I tell you, Fenton Tower sure looks good like this. It sure could use a few snacks around here, though. Preparing for a ghost fight sure makes me hungry. I'd better go stock up on some Fenton Waffle Burgers!" Jack said.

Immediately losing track of the seemingly touching moment between himself and his son, Jack rushed off to grab his unhealthy snacks for the coming fight. Danny, not amused by his father's foolishness, sighed at his silly actions.

Behind him, Sam approached holding two ectoplasmic blasters in her hands, spinning them both like a gunman of the old west.

"Hey, Danny, ready for a fight?" Sam asked.

Upon seeing his wife dressed and ready for battle, Danny found himself absolutely shocked at the idea of his pregnant wife risking her life and the life of their child.

"What?! Sam, no, are you out of your mind?!" Danny asked.

"Excuse me? This is what we do all the time." Sam replied.

"Did you forget about..."

Danny pointed to her stomach, reminding her of the life growing within her. Sam, upon realizing her mistake, found herself surprised at her own ridiculous suggestion.

"Oh, right. I forgot. Damn it, I was looking forward to this. You know how much I love these fights." Sam said.

"Don't sweat it, Sam, there'll be another time. You just stay safe and stay hidden. The last thing I want to happen is for you to get hurt." Danny said.

Danny and Sam shared a hug together, bidding each other their temporary goodbyes, with Sam giving a worried sigh, not being able to help her husband in combat in the coming threat.

"Alright, give 'em hell for me." Sam said.

Sam left to take shelter in the tower's panic room, ensuring herself safe, against her own wishes.

After confirming the last of the security measures with M.I.S.T.E.R., Maddie approached Danny to comfort him before the coming fight.

"Well, sweetie, we've got just about every anti-ghost measure all over the tower. We'll back you up in any way we can." Maddie said.

" _I can confirm Mrs. Fenton's claims, every and all defense measures have been deployed throughout Fenton Tower, making entry a hardening challenge for even the most strongest ectoplasmic threats._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

"Thanks, Mom. Hopefully this shouldn't be too hard with everybody-" Danny began to say.

Danny's sentence was soon interrupted with a shocking sight suddenly appearing in the middle of the laboratory. While he was well aware of the coming threats of his evil self and his new minions, the very sight of them all combined in his own home was unsettling to say in the least.

Out of nowhere, Demon Phantom and his 4 horsemen spontaneously appeared within Fenton Tower, surprising the entire family within. The Demon and his horsemen were a sight to behold, all of them armed and ready for war, a force to be reckoned with.

While the sight of the 5 invaders alone were enough to unsettle Danny, the fact that among his new minions was Vlad Plasmius was no help whatsoever to the situation.

"Hello, Danny. Surprised to see me again after all these years?" Vlad asked.

"Not really. I had a feeling we'd fight again for a while. I just wish you'd have stayed on whatever rock you landed on." Danny replied.

"I had 10 years of hating you bottled up in my unconscious memory, Danny. Getting it all back at once was like a huge punch to the gut. A punch that I intend to return to you many more times over."

Maddie Fenton, armed with a large ectoplasmic cannon, immediately stepped in front of Danny, instinctively protecting her son.

"I hope you brought some alien lube, because I'm going to shove this cannon up your ass and blast it out your mouth, Vlad!" Maddie threatened.

"Maddie, Maddie, Maddie. Much more feisty this time around. Well, I've just been in an alien prison for 10 years, so I've had more than my fill of unwanted anal pleasures. It hasn't happened as much in the past year, so I suppose I lost some of my sex appeal. You, on the other hand, look as beautiful as ever." Vlad said.

"And you've stayed just as much as a creep as ever, Vlad. The more things change, the more things stay the same, isn't it?" Danny asked.

"Dear boys and ghouls, as much as I'm enjoying the playful banter you're all giving each other, may I suggest that perhaps you spend you energy fighting each other rather than wasting it on words?" Demon Phantom asked.

"You asked for it, you got it. I'm going ghost!"

Leaping up into the air, a ring coming from his midriff and splitting to two rings going up and down his body, Danny changed to his ghost form, floating in the air, ready to battle.

His family, taking the lead, armed themselves with several anti-ghost weapons, Maddie cocking and charging her cannon, Jack powering up a large ectoplasmic machine gun, and Jazz suited in a Fenton Peeler, all backing up Danny and ready for battle.

Demon Phantom, amused at the seemingly low resistance, gave a smug smile, chuckling off the threat.

"' _Going ghost_ '. I forgot how stupid that sounded. Allow me to create a comfortable silence!" Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom shot several ectoplasmic blasts from his hands, aiming them all straight at Danny. Danny, acting quickly to avoid the strikes, jumped into the air, stopping himself in the air, maintaining his altitude. While in the air, Danny charged an energy blast of his own, preparing to attack

"Fenton Force, Go!" Danny shouted.

[Soundtrack Cue: White Zombie - Feed the Gods]

The Fentons, all armed to the teeth, opened fire upon the invading ghosts, forcing them all to fall back behind a force field emitted by SkullTech. With their opponents temporary held down, the Fentons began approaching the ghosts, continuing their fire.

"The enemy is approaching! We must drive them back before they overcome us!" The Fright Knight said.

"Thank you for your contributions, Captain Obvious." Ember said.

Taking her guitar in hand, Ember played a power riff, sending off a soundwave with enough power to knock the Fentons on their feet, giving the group of ghosts an opportunity to strike back. SkullTech, taking the opportunity almost immediately, prepared several of his weapons to open fire on the downed Fentons, lowering his force fields in the process.

Danny, taking the open window to attack, took his charged ectoplasmic blast and fired it straight at the group of invading ghosts, knocking the tight group of 5 apart. The Fentons, having their enemies now separated, each took an enemy of their own to handle.

Maddie opted to take on The Fright Knight, Jack chose to attack SkullTech, Jazz took on Ember, and Danny faced himself off against Vlad, each having a score to settle. Demon Phantom took himself aside to observe the fight, waiting for his opponents to weaken themselves on his pawns and providing himself with some entertainment.

Maddie, taking on the undead black knight known only as The Fright Knight, immediately opened several ectoplasmic blasts upon the knight, not inflicting any damage on his tough armor. The Fright Knight brushed off the numerous attacks, not able to be defeated by simple blunt force.

Taking his sword in hand, The Fright Knight landed a swift strike to Maddie's ectoplasmic cannon, temporarily disarming her. Maddie, not easy to be left without any weapons, pulled two small blasters from her thigh holsters and landed two carefully aimed blasts straight to The Fright Knight's face, knocking him back and causing him to scream in pain.

Upon turning his head back to his opponent, Maddie could see that she landed a direct hit to his eye, blinding him on his left side. The Fright Knight, not at all happy about his predicament, charged his sword with even more ectoplasmic energy, slightly frightening Maddie.

" _HARLOT! I SHALL MAKE YOU PAY!_ " The Fright Knight said.

Thinking quickly, Maddie took one final weapon, an ectoplasmic whip, out from under her belt and unleashed the whip, its ectoplasmic stream blowing bright green. Making one swift strike of her whip, Maddie landed a tight wrap around The Fright Knight's neck, forcing him to drop his blade and try to pull off the whip.

With the ghost now in her clutches, Maddie jerked the whip back and forth, tossing The Fright Knight along with the whip. While still tethered to the whip, The Fright Knight was thrown against several walls back and forth, severely worn down in the fight, and finally finished off with a sharp hit to the floor, putting him out of commission, leaving him lying on the floor, groaning and exhausted.

"Say hello to the 21st century." Maddie quipped.

Taking the whip in her hand, Maddie made one final whip to The Fright Knight's backside, leaving one last humiliating strike on his defeat.

In another area of this home battlefield, Jack Fenton began to face off against SkullTech, each of them taking cover behind objects like knocked-over tables and crates to avoid each other's fire. With both enemies having more than enough firepower on each other's hands, the firefight quickly found itself led to a deadlock.

Jack, trying a different approach, abandoned his projectile weapons in favor of two ghost batons, specially fitted against undead threats.

"Hey, big boy! How about you come fight me like a man?!" Jack shouted.

SkullTech, accepting the offer, retracted his projectile weapons and unsheathed two blades from his forearms, grinding the two blades together in readiness.

"I'm gonna skin you alive and make a year's supply of condoms from the hide from your fat ass!" SkullTech said.

"And I'm gonna melt you down into a whole armada of Fenton Fudge Pancake Makers out of your bulky build!" Jack replied.

The two combatants rushed towards each other, swinging both their melee weapons and testosterone-laced quips at one another, each striking fast and visciously despite their large sizes. SkullTech, with his two blades, obviously had the lethal advantage in the fight, but Jack had more experience with hand-to-hand combat in his years of experience of ghost-hunting.

Managing himself with his two batons, Jack deflected off each and every strike from SkullTech's blades, easily fending off his own opponent. After landing one last parry, leaving SkullTech's arms to his sides, Jack landed a headbutt to SkullTech's face, temporarily knocking him back and disorienting him.

Taking the opening in his fight, Jack landed two strikes to the sides of SkullTech's head, further stunning him and making him lose his concentration in the fight. Making his final blow, Jack lifted his robotic leg in the air, pumping up the pneumatics and servos to their peak, and landed a sharp kick to SkullTech, knocking him on the floor, defeated.

"Word to the wise, sonny, always fear an old man in a profession where men die young, and fight those same young dead men again." Jack said.

In another corner of Fenton Tower, Jazz Fenton faced off against Ember McLain, the young women caught now caught in a catfight. Jazz armed herself with a full Fenton Peeler suit, the new model reduced down to a simple exoskeleton consisting of only support bars on the user's limbs, and Ember armed herself with her new guitar, a weapon that emits lethal soundwaves that can destroy any form of matter with the right tone and frequency.

Ember played a solo on her guitar, her fingers moving at speeds that would rival Eddie Van Halen, firing several smaller soundwaves at Jazz in a rapid-fire succession, pelting her with forceful soundwaves. Jazz, needing to get out from the line of fire, ducked behind a large crate. The cover, however, was quickly losing its effectiveness with Ember reducing it down with the many fired soundwaves.

"That's right, baby, I'm Ember, and you _will_ remember! All the boys are gonna want me, and all the girls are gonna wanna be me! And I'm gonna start my world tour using your dead body as my new microphone stand!" Ember shouted.

Jazz, preparing herself to make her strike, jumped right out from her cover just before her last piece of wood was shot fresh off the crate. Aiming her shot carefully, Jazz aimed carefully for Ember's guitar, seeking to disable her primary weapon in the fight.

"No, thanks, I've had my fill of shitty pop-punk for today!" Jazz said.

Jazz landed a well-placed shot straight for Ember's hand, forcing her to drop the guitar and stop playing to tend to her hand. In the process, Ember accidentally broke the three treble strings from her guitar, disabling her use of smaller soundwaves.

"My new axe! You little slut, you're gonna pay for that!" Ember shouted.

"Who're you calling skank, you blue-haired bitch?" Jazz replied.

The two hormonal women enraged at each other, their firefight quickly changed into a fistfight, with their furies reaching brutality levels like no other. Ember pounced on top of Jazz, immediately punching her in the face and pulling her hair. Jazz, pushing Ember on her back, began returning the same attacks, this time choking her as hard as she could, driving her nails into her skin.

Turning the tables again, Ember grabbed Jazz by her neck, picked herself off the ground, and began ramming Jazz's head against the wall, starting to give her a concussion. Needing to stay conscious, Jazz opted for a crude maneuver to finish the fight.

Waiting for her timing at just the right moment, awaiting the moment when Ember's legs were in just the right position, Jazz landed a sharp uppercut straight between Ember's legs, causing Ember the largest amount of pain that a woman was ever possibly capable of feeling, instantly making her let go of Jazz and hold her hands to her crotch, unable to withstand the immense pain from the crude attack, dropping to her knees.

Jazz, now released from Ember's grip, grabbed a large beaker and smashed it against her head, knocking her to the ground in a fetal position, still unable to stand the pain from the forceful blow to her genitals.

"How much of a skank am I now, Princess Split-Peach?" Jazz asked.

At another corner of the hangar in Fenton Tower, one final fight still brewed, and perhaps the most viscous and personal of them all. This final fight was a square-off against Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius, a revenge fight 10 years in the making.

The two living specters faced off against each other with purpose in every strike, both of them beginning to move faster than the speed of sound, making the fight between the two just barely visible to the untrained human eye. Flying back and forth towards each other with innumerable speeds, each landing fast and powerful strikes to each other, Danny and Vlad both refused to let up in their fight until one or the other was dead.

Danny and Vlad continued to make their mutual onslaught on to each other, turning their fight into a deadlock of two unstoppable forces meeting each other in a fury of passionate hate and self-righteousness in their battle. Continuing their fight at speeds that make the fastest kung-fu fighters seem weak in comparison, the two began to do just as much damage to their surroundings as they did each other, ramming each other into the walls, ceilings, and floor, as well as numerous objects in their way.

"Face it, Danny. You can't win here. I've had 10 years to build my strength and defeat you once and for all. This is fate. This is destiny. Just give up now and give your life to me." Vlad said.

Vlad tried to land another punch to Danny's face, his fist moving at a speed that easily broke the sound barrier, only to have it quickly caught by Danny in his own hand, parrying his blow at a speed faster than him.

"You may have had 10 years to improve your power, Vlad, I've had improvements _and_ experience on how to use it!" Danny retorted.

Taking his free hand, Danny fired a focused ice blast straight to Vlad's face, freezing his head within a block of ice. Unable to phase through the ice, Vlad landed onto the ground, quickly making his best attempts to remove the ice from his head. With enough brute strength and pure rage, Vlad crushed the ice with his bare hands, freeing his head and enraging him even further.

Rushing straight for Danny, Vlad put his hands over Danny's head, gripping him tightly and angrily. Coursing ectoplasmic energy through his hand, Vlad began electrocuting Danny's brain, causing him to scream in pain, unable to stand the burning pain in his head.

After a minute of enduring this visceral torture, Danny focused enough of his concentration and energy to focus an ectoplasmic blast to Vlad's torso, blasting him several feet across the room and knocking all breath out of him, allowing Danny a chance to recover.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

When Vlad finally recovered himself from the rubble of the wall he was knocked into, he finally managed to stand back onto his own two feet in front of Danny again, seemingly ready to fight again. Danny, still ready to fight, raised his fists and charged them with ectoplasmic energy, ready to deliver a strong blow to his enemy.

Despite his mind more than willing to continue his fight against Danny, Vlad's body no longer had the necessary strength to continue through, weakly falling to the floor. With Vlad on the ground, unable to continue fighting, his defeat left all opponents down, making the Fentons the victor in the fight.

"Hey, we did it!" Jazz said.

"Hey, you're right, we got them all!" Jack said.

"Of course we did, was there ever any doubt with me on the team?" Maddie asked.

With all ghosts seemingly defeated, the Fentons all raised their hands and cheered in joy, all victorious in thwarting their home invasion from undead attackers. Despite their enthusiasm, however, Danny grew skeptical of their victory, feeling that something was very awry with the situation.

"So, should I get a thermos and wrap these guys up?" Jazz asked.

"Uh, guys? I've got a feeling that this isn't over." Danny said.

"What's wrong, sweetie? We've got them all, and they're all about to be locked inside a thermos where none of them can ever get out again. We won!" Maddie said.

"No, wait, something's not right. How many ghosts did we down?"

"Well, let's see, I took the big guy, Jazz took the punker girl, your mother took the medival one, and you took Vlad. I guess that makes 4." Jack said.

"4... Wait, there was a fifth one, wasn't there?"

The Fentons all looked around, unsure if there was indeed a fifth attacker among the invading force.

"Well, who else would there be?" Jazz asked.

"If you took Ember, mom took The Fright Knight, dad took SkullTech, and I took Vlad, then that leaves-" Danny began to say.

Just before Danny could finish his sentence, one last ghost began to phase through the floor to face the group, laughing evilly at Danny's deduction skills. The final ghost had saved himself for last: Demon Phantom.

"Dark Danny!" The Fentons shouted.

"Please, don't insult me by addressing me as that same pathetic name as my counterpart. You will know me as Demon Phantom, for I am your own personal demon, Danny Phantom." The Demon said.

"I don't care what you call yourself, you're not going to hurt my family this time or in any time again!" Danny shouted.

With any hesitation whatsoever, Danny immediately rushed towards Demon Phantom with full force, aiming to land a severe blow straight to his head. Danny's headstrong approach, while admirable in its own respect, was not such an effective approach with Demon Phantom, as he was far too fast for Danny to face on his own.

With seemingly a simple move of his hand, Demon Phantom knocked Danny aside with a strike faster than the human eye could register, knocking him back down to the ground, falling flat on his back. His family, taking instant notice of the blow to Danny, retaliated out of pure instinct.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Light him up!" Maddie shouted.

At Maddie's orders, the Fentons instantly began firing straight at Demon Phantom, spending nearly all of their munitions in one full usage, giving as much firepower towards Demon Phantom as possible.

Despite the Fentons giving all their firepower, and despite their firepower being among some of the greatest the planet has to offer against undead threats, none of it was anywhere near enough to even damage Demon Phantom. Laughing off the futile attacks of his former family, Demon Phantom threw an ectoplasmic wave to the Fentons, knocking them all on their backs and temporarily stopping their attacks.

Danny, immediately taking notice of his family being in trouble, rushed to help his fallen teammates, rushing to his evil counterpart yet again in a blitzkreig of an attack. This time, however, Danny made sure not to waste his attack giving a simple head-on attack, opting for more complex attacks.

Upon approaching Demon Phantom, Danny immediately switched from simply rushing to his opponent to attacking from a distance, blasting numerous ectoplasmic blasts from numerous angles. Despite landing several blasts onto his Demon Phantom, all strategically seeking a weak point, nothing Danny shot at his doppelganger seemed to even affect him.

Demon Phantom, wanting to have some fun, gave his own attack to Danny, landing a punch to his stomach while moving towards him almost near the speed of light, too fast for Danny to parry. Danny, not prepared to take such a hard punch, immediately had all the breath knocked out of him, unable to fight back.

Taking Danny's temporarily moment of weakness to exploit it, Demon Phantom took Danny by his neck and threw him up against a wall, crushing the wall behind him. Following this attack, the Demon began punching Danny several times per second as he laid against the wall, having no defenses, only able to take his punishment without a way out.

As Demon Phantom enjoyed annihilating his younger self, the Fentons prepared themselves for another attack on the superpowered ghost, immediately firing their weapons once again on the Demon. Once again, the attack showed no effect on their target, although it did distract him enough to release Danny and bring his focus back to the Fentons.

Danny, refusing to allow his dark half to harm his family, duplicated 7 copies of himself, creating a strike force of 8 of himself to defend his family. The 8 Phantoms, fighting with every ounce of capability in their bodies, rushed to Demon Phantom and landed as many punches as the 8 could give, giving just enough force to overwhelm Demon Phantom, leaving him unfocused on his next attack.

Planning his next move carefully, Demon Phantom forced out a shockwave, knocking all 8 Danny Phantoms back, giving himself a chance to take the fight to his advantage again. Grabbing one of the Danny clones, Demon Phantom rushed towards the other clones one at a time, striking them with the clone in his hands, delivering a powerful strike on each while simultaneously merging the clones into one entity again.

After striking the last clone with the clone in his hand, Demon Phantom finally merged all 8 Danny Phantoms into one again, giving himself an easier target to focus on. Holding up Danny in the air by his neck, Demon Phantom gave an evil look to his younger self, preparing to finish him off.

"You'll never win, Demon. I'm the good guy, and you're the bad guy. The bad guys always lose." Danny said.

"Good, bad, I'm the one with the power." Demon Phantom said.

Charging an ectoplasmic blast in his free hand, Demon Phantom prepared to kill Danny Phantom where he stood, planning to send him straight to Oblivion as he could not have a normal afterlife being half-ghost.

As the Demon prepared to fire his shot, his attack was abruptly interrupted by an ectoplasmic blast to his other hand, forcing him to drop Danny. Before he could question the origin of the blast, another ectoplasmic blast was shot straight to his chest, knocking him on his back, not able to defend himself against the surprise attack.

As Danny just barely managed to get up again, he caught a glimpse of the new figure that saved him from his evil doppelganger. The figure was Sam Manson Fenton, his own wife, holding a large, cumbersome ectoplasmic cannon, still smoking from the blast it had just delivered.

"Are you out of your mind?! What are you doing out here?!" Danny shouted.

"Shut up and come on while I get you some help." Sam said.

Sam helped Danny off the floor, trying her best to carry him to somewhere to receive medical attention.

"I wanted you in that bunker to stay safe, Sam. You could hurt yourself out here." Danny said.

"I couldn't leave you out there like that. Now, come on and we can both sit in the bunker while your family fends off these guys-" Sam began to say.

Before Sam could finish her sentence, a loud slicing sound was heard, catching Danny's attention and stopping Sam in her tracks. Just before Danny could figure out what happened, Sam began to float in the air, groaning in pain and squirming, seemingly trying to be released from some kind of hold.

Out of nowhere, a figure suddenly began to become visible to the group, revealing the events to the entire group. The figure coming into visibility was Demon Phantom, emitting an ectoplasmic blade, and the blade was running straight through Sam's chest, impaling her heart. Danny, too overcome with shock to react, only stood in place as he watched his wife stabbed by his evil half, his eyes and mouth wide open.

After Sam gave several struggling attempts to get free, Demon Phantom moved his blade as it still remained in Sam's chest, completely destroying her heart. Now no longer having her heart to deliver oxygen to her brain, Sam finally went limp, dead from her stab wound.

" _ **NO!**_ " Danny shouted.

Despite Danny's prolonged, desperate plea for his wife, Demon Phantom tossed her body aside, her body falling onto the floor, still and lifeless. Danny, not knowing what to do, fell to his knees, weakened and left in despair.

The Fentons, conversely, did not stop to shed tears just yet, instead making one last, revenge-fueled stand against Danny's evil half, continuing to fire upon him. Demon Phantom, no longer wasting time on his targets, used his ectoplasmic arm blades to finish off the remaining Fentons, swiftly stabbing Jack Fenton in the head, slicing Maddie Fenton down the middle, and piercing Jazz Fenton in her heart and stomach, lifting her body in the air, then swiftly scraping it from his blades, now finally victorious.

Danny, too weak and helpless after watching his pregnant wife die in front of him, sat and watched in despair and agony as his evil half tore his family apart, leaving him alone and helpless.

Despite being without his family now, Danny found a pure and unbridled rage within himself, screaming a war cry at the top of his lungs and rushing straight at Demon Phantom once again with wrath unspoken of, ready to avenge the death of his family.

Danny, fueled by loss and grief, fought with viciousness that Demon Phantom could not possibly match in his own way, taking several beatings from Danny, unable to defend himself from the speed of his attacks. Danny relentlessly continued his onslaught on his doppelganger, not with intent of a simple fight, but with the wish for blood in his heart, having everything else in it stripped away by his enemy.

Demon Phantom, using one last trick in the fight, turned his hands intangible and reached them into Danny's chest, making Danny stop in his tracks, now caught in this strange new attack.

"You might be thinking, 'How can this hurt? You've already taken everything from me.' Well, you're very wrong, Danny. I have just one more thing to take from you now." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom, his hands still within Danny's chest, began to split Danny apart from the middle, extending his arms outwards. Danny, as any would in his position, screamed in agony, not able to mentally comprehend the intense sheer pain that he was undergoing. What he did not realize, however, was that his body was not being split apart, but, rather, himself.

When Demon Phantom completed his attack, Danny was split into two halves, each within the Demon's hands. In one hand laid Danny Fenton, the human half; and in the other Danny Phantom, the ghost half. Not being a threat, the Demon tossed Danny Fenton aside, forcing him to watch his next action.

"You may live your own afterlife, Danny Fenton, but your better half will know Oblivion, and you will watch." Demon Phantom said.

Holding Danny Phantom in both of his hands, ectoplasmic energy began to channel through his hands and into Danny Phantom, causing him to crack and glow, exhibiting a reaction from the inside out. Danny Phantom, not able to save himself anymore, screamed and writhed in immense pain, knowing his end was coming soon.

With a flash and explosion, Danny Phantom exploded into a cloud of green dust, leaving behind one final echoed scream just before his descent into Oblivion, a state of nonexistence. Danny Fenton, not able to comprehend the immense loss that he had undergone, simply sat and watched in horror, not knowing what to do.

Demon Phantom picked Danny up and held him over the edge of Fenton Tower, making him panic and try to fight for his own survival in any way he could, all his attempts to live in vain.

"Goodbye, Danny Fenton." Demon Phantom said.

Releasing his grip on the powerless man in his hand, Danny began to fall from Fenton Tower straight down to the ground, screaming and flailing as he fell, the end of his life coming far sooner than he had realized. Upon falling into the dark abyss below the tower, Danny was gone, leaving him out of sight from Demon Phantom.

With a simple fall from heaven, Danny Fenton was no more.

With the Fentons out of his way, Demon Phantom walked back into the tower, beginning phase 2 of his master plan. Within the finished battlefield, all 4 of his horsemen finally managed to get up from the floor, just barely beginning to comprehend what happened.

"Damn... Did I miss the good stuff?" Ember asked.

"Not at all. Now that the Fentons are out of my way, we begin phase 2." The Demon said.

As Vlad began to realize what had happened around the base, seeing the dead bodies of the Fentons lying on the ground, Vlad found a bittersweet victory, his arch-rivals in his life finally removed, even though he never had the pleasure to carry the deed himself.

However, as he scanned the room, the sight of one particular body turned his disposition from satistfied to completely devastated. The body that made him lose all happiness in that moment was the body of Maddie Fenton, the one and only woman that Vlad had ever had eyes for. Barely able to comprehend the loss, Vlad immediately rushed towards Maddie's body, holding it tightly and crying over it, begging in vain for her to wake up.

"No, come on... Wake up, Maddie... Please wake up! _PLEASE WAKE UP!_ " Vlad shouted.

"She's dead, Vlad. I killed her." Demon Phantom said.

Upon hearing the bad news of Maddie's ultimate fate, Vlad immediately rushed to Demon Phantom and mercilessly laid several beatings into him, hoping to avenge his one love. Demon Phantom, showing incredible tolerance towards Vlad, did nothing to fight back, instead letting him vent his frustrations.

" _YOU LYING SON OF A BITCH! THIS WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL! THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE DEAL! YOU SAID NOTHING ABOUT KILLING MADDIE!_ " Vlad shouted.

Demon Phantom, no longer having any patience for Vlad's enraged reaction, grabbed his fists, temporarily stopping him.

"I don't recall us making a deal stating that she must live. However, if you truly wish for this one to be yours, I promise you, when my plan is complete and I live both living and dead, you may have Maddie Fenton as your wife, either living or dead, depending on your preference. For now, however, if you do not cooperate and continue our deal, you may never have a chance to see her again. Do we understand each other?" The Demon asked.

After hearing Demon Phantom's offer, putting away his emotions in favor of logic, realizing that he could have Maddie again, Vlad stopped his attack on Demon Phantom, releasing him and calming himself down.

"Okay. We'll play it your way for now, but when this is over, I expect Maddie to be living once again. If she isn't, you and I will settle things more personally." Vlad said.

Demon Phantom gave an amused chuckle and smile at Vlad's threat, not taking it seriously.

"Whatever you say, Vlad. For now, however, since she's not using her body, you take it." Demon Phantom said.

"'Take it'? What kind of sick man do you take me for? I wouldn't do that to-" Vlad began to say.

"Not that, Vlad, possess it."

"...Possess it? Why?"

"Because this is phase 2. The Fentons are the most influential people on Earth. Now that we've be rid of them, we can assume their identities in order to begin phase 3."

"And what's phase 3?"

"You will find out soon enough."

Following Demon Phantom's instructions, the 4 horsemen all possessed the bodies of the dead Fentons, assuming their identities and controlling their bodies. SkullTech opted for Jack's body, Ember chose Jazz's body, The Fright Knight took Sam's body, and Vlad, despite his inner debates on doing so, possessed Maddie's body.

"So now what? We've got the other Fentons' bodies, but what about you? You tossed out Danny's body." SkullTech said.

"Not to worry, my horseman of War. Allow me to exhibit a useful trick." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom began a transformation similar to Danny Phantom's ghost transformation, changing himself into the form of Danny Phantom himself, creating a perfect, painstaking replica. The horsemen, not expecting even Demon Phantom capable of such a capability, all stepped back in shock.

"How did you do that? Even I didn't master that technique!" Vlad asked.

"I can show you, my horseman, in due time. Now, we begin phase 2." Demon Phantom said.

"And what, my liege, is that?" The Fright Knight asked.

"Well, we've got a situation on our hands, why don't we call the president?"

* * *

In the old city of Amity Park, a ghetto resting in the underbelly of the more recognized New Amity Park above, many things fall into the old city. Some drop their garbage below, taking to heart the old saying: 'Out of sight, out of mind'. Others simply lose items, accidentally dropping things off roofs or balconies.

Sometimes, however, when some cannot stand to continue the lives that they live, they throw themselves below. This case is much more often than many think, and many below take advantage of this trope to collect valuables from the recently deceased.

In a pile of trash bags in the old city of Amity Park, Danny Fenton rests atop numerous bags, too weak and powerless to move on his own, too defeated and destroyed to move. Being a body among the trash below, some scavengers mistake this man for a suicide, making use of whatever they can find.

" _Hey, here's another one, let's loot him._ " One scavenger said.

" _Wait a minute, this one's still alive. Let's finish him before he wakes up._ " Another said.

" _Hang on, don't you realize who that is?_ " A different scavenger asked.

" _It's... It's him! You think we should take him to the boss?_ " The second scavenger asked.

" _Yeah, I've got a real good feeling that he wants to see him again._ " The first scavenger said.

Upon agreeing on their next move, the three scavengers took Danny Fenton and began carrying him to their hideout, where someone familiar from Danny's old days of fighting was waiting for an unexpected surprise reunion.


	8. Chapter 7: Fall From Heaven

**CHAPTER 7: FALL FROM HEAVEN**

Resting below the underbelly of the city of Amity Park lies the once-great old city, a town of more concrete and brick rather and less metal and glass. The times before the world knew the threats of the afterlife were perhaps much better times in the world, as not everyone could keep up with the ways of tomorrow. As the ways of life advanced towards the new times, the old and disenfranchised were left behind.

In the old city, where Amity Park's old buildings lie, the area grows dark and derelict with the neglect that it has suffered throughout the years. With the old ways of life obsolete, food is hard to come by, buildings begin to deteriorate, and the people live sad, unhappy lives, wishing they could rise to the surface for a better life, looking to the heavens for salvation.

Many things fall from the heavens into this pit, whether they be cast out as garbage, lost or forgotten to neglect, or have simply fallen down to this strange world. One such example is Danny Fenton, cast out from his own home by his evil doppelganger and his ghost half, the source of his otherworldly powers, stripped and taken from him. Now, cast from the heavens, he lies in a pile of garbage, cast out just as he was, presumed dead.

Not many would find use for a dead body, but, in this dark place, there are those who can find use for the recently deceased. Such an example of these kinds of people are three scavengers, seeking out the dead in the streets, searching for any valuables left behind. As they notice Danny amongst the garbage, however, they have other plans.

" _Hey, here's another one, let's loot him._ " One scavenger said.

" _Wait a minute, this one's still alive. Let's finish him before he wakes up._ " Another said.

" _Hang on, don't you realize who that is?_ " A different scavenger asked.

" _It's... It's him! You think we should take him to the boss?_ " The second scavenger asked.

" _Yeah, I've got a real good feeling that he wants to see him again._ " The first scavenger said.

Upon agreeing to return the fallen hero to their master, the three scavengers loaded Danny into their vehicle, a small, doorless car filled with collected dead bodies, and began their way back to their hideout to give their leader their newfound treasure.

A few minutes later, the group finally arrived to the location of their hideout: an abandoned church. With the public discovery of the Ghost Zone, evidence of an afterlife, the religions of the world, no longer having the ambiguity of an unspecified form of a god to support their superstitions, all went extinct overnight with their so-called histories debunked and disproven.

In the old city, however, these old places of worship quickly became sought after among many homeless due to their spacious room, beautiful architecture, and old habits for those too stubborn to let go of their religions. Others, however, have repurposed these old buildings as bases for less noble reasons, choosing these places as fortresses for creating drugs, running illegitimate brothels, and other such activities.

After loading the numerous dead bodies inside the church, Danny Fenton was carefully carried in by the scavengers to their leader in hopes for a reward. Their leader sat in a throne made of a decorated chair, once meant for higher clergy of the church like a priest or bishop.

"We brought you something, boss. Somebody you talked about from the old days." A scavenger said.

Upon carefully inspecting the gift he was provided with, their leader gave an amused smile, not expecting to see this particular face again.

"Good work, boys. Why don't you wake him up for me? I think I'd like to have a talk with him." The leader said.

At their leader's command, the scavengers returned to the room with a bucket of dirty water, pouring it on Danny's face. The dirty water did its work quickly, as Danny immediately got up from the floor, coughing heavily from the water nearly entering his lungs.

Upon realizing that he was not dead yet, Danny took a look at his surroundings, trying to find out where he was, not recognizing the place he was in. When looking at the leader of the scavengers that took him, he found himself surprised to see a familiar face that he thought long gone and moved on.

"...Freakshow?" Danny asked.

The leader, his face hidden by the limited lighting from the large church, leaned in to Danny, chuckling softly. When his face came to the one source of light in the building, he revealed that Danny's guess was very much correct, revealing himself to be Freakshow.

"So, you do remember me. I was beginning to think that with all your adventures in chasing after ghosts, you stopped caring about little old me." Freakshow said.

"What do you want, Freakshow?" Danny asked.

Before answering Danny's question, Freakshow took a bowl filled with pork and began eating its contents, satisfying his own needs for food before answering.

"Well, for many years since I met you, I wanted to kill you. You were always the one to foil my own plans, always the one to ruin everything that I've worked so hard to do. So, now, I have a new, more simpler plan. Since you've become one of the most powerful men on the planet, you, my boy, are going to give me a king's ransom." Freakshow said.

"And how exactly do you expect that to happen?" Danny asked.

"Simple. If your family does not pay me 1 billion dollars, you die. No need for complex plots foiled by the one overlooked detail, just a simple ransom. Oh, and don't think about fighting back this time, because, as paranormal threats became more and more common, so did anti-ghost weaponry, all thanks to Fenton Works. All my men are armed with enough firepower to blow you out of existence from the cosmos."

"What are you, an idiot?"

"Excuse me?"

"My whole family is dead. My evil half just took over the whole tower. You're all dead. Even if you get the money, it won't matter."

After a brief pause from both Freakshow and his minions, all seemingly thinking over Danny's warnings, the entire group all suddenly burst out laughing, none of them taking Danny's warnings seriously. Danny, not understanding their reaction, was left confused.

"What? What's so funny?" Danny asked.

"Your evil half?! Next, I suppose you'll tell us that the ghost of old Saint Nick'll be coming to destroy anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, right? Tell me, if your entire family was dead, how do you explain this?" Freakshow asked.

Freakshow pulled out his smartphone, pulled up a video on his web browser, and displayed it to Danny, playing a video of what appeared to be Jazz Fenton making a statement to the news.

" _I repeat, there was absolutely no need to worry about the strange flashes and lights from Fenton Tower this evening. We were simply just testing a new piece of equipment and experienced some technical difficulties, and I assure you these difficulties will not happen again._ " Jazz said.

Danny, not understanding what he was seeing, found himself completely baffled by the sight of his sister seemingly alive and well.

"But- But I watched her die... That's impossible!" Danny said.

"Oh, shut up, you. Now, since you're going to be here with us for a while, I suggest you eat up while we wait. It could be a while before they notice you go missing, considering your many blunders fighting off ghosts." Freakshow said.

Freakshow passed Danny a bowl of pork, encouraging him to eat the contents. Danny, feeling skeptical of the food, looked back and forth at the food and Freakshow, not recognizing the meat.

"Uh... What is this stuff?" Danny asked.

"That? I think he was a stock broker, had a bad day, ended his own life." Freakshow said.

Danny, confused at Freakshow's words, grew very suspicious of the explanation.

"Wha- What are you saying?" Danny asked.

Freakshow held up a skull sitting near his chair, displaying it to Danny.

"This fellow here. I think that's a bit of his ribs, but I don't think he'll be needing those anymore." Freakshow said.

Upon looking at the skull and examining the numerous bones laying around the church, taking notice of the bowl of meat that Freakshow was eating, the truth suddenly became very clear to him.

Freakshow was a cannibal.

Danny, understanding the truth in full, immediately became extremely disgusted with Freakshow, picking up the bowl and throwing it straight at his head, causing the bowl to shatter and the glass to leave cuts all over his head. Freakshow, attempting to overcome the pain of the cuts that he received, instantly grew enraged and made a hasty new decision regarding his guest.

"Okay, if you don't appreciate good hospitality, you don't deserve my respect. Boys, kill him." Freakshow said.

"But, boss, what about the money?" A henchman asked.

"Boys, kill Danny Phantom, and make sure Charlie is nicely prepared for dinner."

The henchmen, none wanting to share the horrible fate of becoming the dinner of a cannibal, all immediately opened fire upon Danny, causing a large amount of smoke where he once stood.

As Freakshow laughed victoriously at seemingly killing his arch-enemy once and for all; his smile quickly disappeared just as quickly as the smoke did.

As the smoke cleared from the room, Danny was seen to be still standing, alive and well, unharmed by the weapons.

"What?! That was enough firepower to put Vlad Plasmius out of existence! How are you still alive?!" Freakshow asked.

"Forgot to mention, my evil half also took away my ghost powers. Where that probably would have killed me as a Phantom, regular humans can walk away just fine." Danny said.

Wasting no time to free himself from the clutches of the cannibal gang that captured him, Danny rushed to the nearest gunman, grabbed his weapon, hit him in the face with it, and kicked him to the ground, and prepared run straight for the exit.

With another henchman blocking the door to the exit, Danny took his stolen weapon and hit the henchman in the face with it, knocking him out of his way, allowing him to run straight out of the church and into the street, looking for a way out.

While searching for a faster method of transportation, Danny spotted a man on a motorcycle driving at just slow enough a speed for him to catch up with, throwing the unlucky motorcyclist off his bike for Danny to use it for himself.

As Danny pushed the bike to full throttle, getting away from that nightmarish place as quickly as he could, he suddenly began to feel more and more safe as he continued to make his way away from the church. His sense of security, however, quickly reduced itself significantly when he noticed something beginning to catch up with him in his rearview mirror.

Rushing from straight behind him was Freakshow, making his way towards Danny in one of his henchmens' small transports, making his way back up to Danny with quick enough speed to reach him.

Upon catching back up to Danny, Freakshow abandoned his vehicle to jump onto Danny's back, capturing his prey and getting ready to attack him.

"Usually I would take you back and slow roast you for a good 4 hours to make sure your flavor is perfect, but this time I think I'll just have you raw!" Freakshow said.

Sinking his teeth deep, Freakshow began to take a giant bite into Danny's shoulder, aiming to take a large piece of meat. Danny, unable to withstand the immense pain of Freakshow's sharpened teeth into his body, screamed in agony, losing his ability to control the bike.

Releasing his grip onto the controls of the bike, Danny and Freakshow both immediately went down to the road, both tumbling on the asphalt, sustaining several injuries. Danny tumbled for a good minute, but Freakshow tumbled for at least 3 minutes, taking much more abuse than Danny. Despite this, Freakshow still gave his best efforts to finish off Danny, crawling towards him, ignoring his broken and protruding bones and excessive bleeding.

" _You're dead, Danny boy. I'm gonna eat you up, shit you into a bucket, put a big red hat on the bucket, and tell you all the yummy things I want for Christmas!_ " Freakshow said.

Before Freakshow could reach his food, a forceful stomp was landed on Freakshow's back, breaking it further than the impact of his fall had already placed it, making him give a pained shout. The foot flipped him on his back, allowing him to face his attacker before they continued.

"Eat this, Jared Leto." The attacker said.

The attacker glowed an ectoplasmic blast from their hands, immediately rushing all the energy straight for Freakshow's head, completely disintegrating his head to nothing in a matter of seconds, leaving behind a headless, mutilated body that was once the cannibalistic monster known as Freakshow.

With the threat removed, the figure made their way to Danny, who laid on the ground, barely breathing from the abuse overcome by Freakshow. After the viscous bite that he ensued, Danny began bleeding profusely, not able to continue functioning with his large blood loss.

His savior figure, wasting no time to save their intended target, picked Danny up and began carrying him to somewhere safe to tend to his wounds. Due to being too weakened from his immense blood loss, Danny was not able to catch his savior's face.

" _Tha- Thank you. Thank you._ " Danny said.

"Save it for later. Just hang on for now while I get you to my place." The figure said.

The savior figure, continuing to carry Danny over their shoulder, made their way to their own home to tend to his wounds, heading out through the thick concrete jungle of Old Amity Park.

* * *

Within the conquered metropolitan skyscraper known as Fenton Tower, the home of the late Fentons, now occupied by evil forces of Demon Phantom and his 4 horsemen under the guise of the Fenton Family, the group continued to advance their evil plans for conquering both the worlds of the living and the dead.

Demon Phantom, donning the appearance of his do-gooder counterpart, placed a call through the presidential hotline, contacting President Foley to trick him into believing that all was well.

Demon Phantom picked up the phone and placed his call, awaiting patiently for the other line to receive his call.

* * *

At the White House, after President Foley had just finished a... 'cabinet meeting' with several magazine models and pornographic film stars, where several Secret Service members reluctantly and unhappily cleaned up their mess, having to deal with all manners of garbage including beer cans, depleted marijuana cigarettes, and even used condoms.

Upon hearing the phone ring, a Secret Service member immediately took the phone and brought it to President Foley, relaxing in a beach chair resting on the balcony of the White House.

"Mr. President? Danny Phantom on the line for you, sir." The Secret Service member said.

"Jerry, my man, bring it here, he's just the man I wanted to talk to." President Foley said.

The Secret Serviceman unhappily handed President Foley the phone and left the balcony to leave him to continue his conversation in privacy.

" _Tedison. My name is Tedison. How hard is it for someone to remember that?_ " The Serviceman muttered.

"Danny boy, how's your hammer hanging?" President Foley asked.

* * *

"Hello, my good friend, sorry to bother you at this hour, I needed to speak with you." Demon Phantom said.

* * *

"Danny? You alright, man? You're talking a little funny."

* * *

"Fine, fine, just a little shaken up. I'm sure you've caught the news shared by my dear sister?"

* * *

"No, man, I quit watching news halfway into my second term. Anything I need to know?"

* * *

"No, no, just a simple test gone wrong. Just wanted to keep you informed personally, you being the president."

* * *

"Okay, man. I appreciate it. I was starting to get curious why you were needing the whole Ecto Corps over there."

* * *

"Oh, did I say that? My sincere apologies, President Foley, I must have overreacted quite a bit. Sorry to startle you."

* * *

"Uh... Yeah. So, you need anything else, man?"

* * *

"Nope, all fine here. Thank you for everything, my friend."

* * *

"Right... Yeah. See you, Danny."

* * *

"Of course, see you another time."

* * *

As President Foley hung up the phone, he couldn't help but feel a tad suspicious about his best friend's actions. A few hours ago, he was frantically begging for military aide. Now, he assures that all is well while talking uncharacteristically directly and clearly towards him, even addressing him as 'President Foley' rather than 'Tucker'.

"Hey, Jerry?" President Foley asked.

After again not being addressed by his name, the Secret Serviceman known as Tedison reluctantly met with the president to see to his needs.

"Yes, Mr. President?" Tedison asked.

"Can you get Valerie Gray to meet me? I think something's wrong with the Fentons." President Foley asked.

"...Did you say Valerie Gray, sir?"

"Yeah. That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, sir, I'll contact her straight away, sir."

"Yeah, thanks, Jerry."

Tedison, surprised at President Foley's request to meet the hardened head of the Ecto Corps, went to collect on his orders to summon her to the White House. President Foley, thinking back on his conversation with Danny, began to ponder what could possibly be wrong.

 _Something about the way he talked seemed way off to me. Where did I hear those mannerisms before?_ President Foley thought.

* * *

Back at Fenton Tower, Demon Phantom hung up the phone to further his plans, having completed phase 1 of his scheme, and began to address his 4 horsemen to commence phase 2.

"Now, my horsemen, now that no one suspects anything of us, it is time to move on to phase 2. I trust each of you have adapted well to your bodies?" Demon Phantom asked.

"For the most part, but old man Fenton seriously needed to get himself a goddamn Stairmaster. His body's at least 60% body fat." SkullTech complained.

"Jazz's body isn't too bad, but someone with my proportions doesn't fit well in here. It's like squeezing a watermelon into an orange peeler." Ember complained.

"Possessing a female body feels very much different from what I expected, but it is an experience I can adapt to. I can carry on." The Fright Knight said.

"For years, I've always thought about being inside Maddie, but this isn't what I had in mind. At least I can have a nice view of what I can have when this is over. Let's just get moving." Vlad said.

"Very good. Now, with all of you inside the Fenton's bodies, you should be able to access the numerous of Fenton Tower without any trouble from the anti-ghost defenses in this building. Keep in mind as all the Fentons are dead, each of you are inside a dead body, so you only have so long before your bodies deteriorate and will no longer fool the systems. We're lucky if they work at all for the moment. Now, here is what I need. SkullTech, you and Vlad seek out the storage units in the tower and find me the following list of parts." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom materialized a list of items and handed it to the two horsemen, which the two immediately read to familiarize themselves with the needed items.

"These parts all create a Ghost Portal. What do we need with one of those?" Vlad asked.

"We're not just making a Ghost Portal, we're making a _huge_ Ghost Portal. One large enough for the entire populace of the Ghost Zone to escape from and allow them to reclaim the realm of the living that they were so forcefully purged from." The Demon said.

"What for? Won't the humans just fight back and stop them?" SkullTech asked.

"Even with all their firepower, the humans can only fight off a few of us on their own. Fighting against billions, if not trillions of undead souls? There is no one in this world that could face off against such an Army of Darkness. Now, enough wasting time with questions. Go and retrieve my items."

Vlad and SkullTech complied with their master's orders, moving to collect the list of items to construct their Ghost Portal.

"What about us? Don't we get something to do?" Ember asked.

"You two stay here. Once those two come back with the parts, you two begin construction under my orders. While you wait, I suggest you take some time to adjust to your new bodies while you have the chance, but take care not to wear them out and speed up their deterioration." Demon Phantom said.

"Very well, my liege." The Fright Knight said.

"And worry not about your wishes to wreak havoc on the mortals, you will have your chance soon enough. We all shall."


	9. Chapter 8: Weak and Powerless

**CHAPTER 8: WEAK AND POWERLESS**

Within a small, dingy apartment, something that thought to be long extinct with technological advances in the past few years, the man once known as Danny Phantom laid in an old spring bed, another antique of the past, with a bandage on his shoulder. While he did not know where he was, he did know that his wounds were being tended to, and, as such, he was likely safe here.

When his eyesight began to slowly return to him from the haze of painkillers that were in his body, probably placed in him from his caregiver, Danny slowly began to have a clearer view of his savior from the cannibalistic Freakshow. The person who saved him, however, was someone from his past even more obscure than Freakshow, but no less important to him.

His savior was none other than Dani Phantom, his clone and adoptive sister. Despite her calm disposition, Dani harbored a slight anger towards her guest, even though she had just saved his life.

"Hey, Danny. Sorry I didn't call or write. I've been busy." Dani said.

"Da... Dani? How are you-" Danny began to say.

As Danny began his inquiries to his female clone, he began to rise from his bed, only to be brought back down by the stinging pain in his shoulder, courtesy of Freakshow's bite.

"Yeah, you might wanna take it easy for a bit. Freakshow nearly took out a bite out of your shoulder, and I just got it all disinfected. You should rest for a while." Dani said.

"Great. Thanks." Danny said.

"So, what brings you down to the old city?"

"The old city? Is that what they call this place?"

"What? You mean you don't know where you are?"

"No. I don't have a clue what's happened since I fell down here."

Dani let out a heavy sigh, preparing herself for the long explanation owed to Danny for his displacement into this strange dystopian metropolis.

"When all the new buildings that came into Amity Park, all those fancy skyscrapers and buildings, like that fancy new Fenton Tower, what do you think happened to the old buildings? They had to go somewhere." Dani said.

"So, what, they just built everything on top of the old town and just left it to rot? What about all the people still left behind here?" Danny asked.

"What are you asking me for? You and your family are the richest people on the planet. You left so many people behind here in this cesspool for us to die."

"You could have come and lived with us. We would have helped you."

"And what about all the people down here? Would you have taken them all in too? No, you wouldn't. You and your family don't give a damn about what happens to us. I chose to stay here to help the little people, the people that you used to care about and protect."

"Dani, I-"

"It's not just you. Your whole family makes themselves big and known with their numerous inventions all getting huge media attention with every new invention, you've never had to know hunger or pain. You may not have been born with that silver spoon in your mouth, but you haven't been able to get it out of your mouth, neither you nor any of your family-"

"My family is dead, Dani."

Dani, not expecting such terrible news, quickly changed her tone from villifying to sympathetic upon hearing the horrible words.

"..What?" She asked.

"My whole family was just killed, and I got tossed down here like trash to die. After all that, do you really think that I need all that self-righteous preaching about how the rich are corrupt and uncaring?" Danny asked.

"Danny, I- I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"Of course you didn't. I finally see you for the first time in 10 years, and the first thing I get isn't a 'Hi, Danny! Been a long time!', or, 'Danny! I really missed you!'. No, instead, on top of the shit I've had to take all at once, the one person I thought that would actually have my back, I get completely dumped on for being who I am."

"Danny, I'm really sorry, I wasn't-"

"You weren't thinking about anyone but yourself. How long have you been down here on your own? Clearly, it was long enough to make you forget about basic human emotion-"

"DANNY!"

Dani gave an exhausted breath, not meaning to give a harsh reaction to Danny's moment of emotional despair.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you, but you can't get mad at me for something I didn't know. Losing your family all at once isn't exactly a common occurrence to expect. Now, if you'll kindly point me to who did this to you, we can both get them together. It won't bring them back, but it'll make you feel a hell of a lot better." Dani offered.

"I killed them, Dani." Danny said.

"...You did what?"

"The thing that killed them was me, a different version of me from an alternate timeline. He killed them all in front of me, then he tore my ghost half out and destroyed it. I'm not Danny Phantom anymore. He took that from me. He took everything."

"...I'm sorry, that's awful. It really is, I know-"

Unexpectedly, Danny jumped out of his bed, seemingly immune to the stinging pain in his shoulder, filled with rage.

"NO, YOU DON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SHIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, ABOUT WHAT THAT THING IS! I GAVE IT EVERYTHING I GOT, AND I STILL COULDN'T BEAT HIM! I FAILED, AND MY FAMILY IS DEAD!" Danny shouted.

"Danny, calm down, please!" Dani pleaded.

"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! 10 YEARS AGO, I WAS BRUSHING OFF GUYS LIKE THIS IN MY SLEEP, BUT, THIS TIME, I COULDN'T SHOOT A LOCK OFF HIS STUPID HAIR! HE SLAUGHTERED MY WHOLE FAMILY WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT! HE DESTROYED EVERYTHING I AM!"

Unable to withstand the severe trauma of the horrifying events that he had put himself through, Danny fell to the floor, sitting against the wall, curled in a fetal position.

" _That wasn't even the worst of it. Out of all the people, out of all the goddamn people in my family he could have started with, he chose Sam. We've been married since we both graduated, and we were just about to have our first kid, you know? She just told me she was pregnant, and I was really happy about it, I was really excited about being a dad, to be able to hold my own little baby boy or girl in my arms, to hear them laugh and giggle, to see them smile, but I lost all that. Sam, trying her best just to get me to safety, risked herself to save me, and he just- he just stabbed her right through her stomach, and there was blood and stuff spraying all over me. I could feel little chunks of my own unborn kid on my face and in my mouth! I said that I wouldn't let anything happen to them, I said I'd keep them safe, I'd... I'd..._ " Danny ranted.

At the end of Danny's reliving of his most horrible moment, Dani immediately rushed to hug him tightly, giving him a chance to let out his pain and torment. No matter how much and how hard Danny cried over his dead family, none of it was anywhere near enough to relieve the pain inside of him.

" _I failed, Dani. I let them all die. I let them all-_ " Danny began to say.

"Shh, shh, you didn't fail, Danny. You did the best you could. There wasn't anything else you could have done." Dani said.

" _But what do I do now? My whole family is dead. I don't have powers anymore. Even if I could beat Demon Phantom, what the hell's the point? I don't have anything else to live or fight for._ "

Dani, not knowing how to answer Danny's difficult question, thought carefully on what to say next.

"Your family's not dead. You've still got me, and I'm not giving up on you, so you better not give up on me. We're gonna find a way for you to get your powers back, we're going to stop this Demon Phantom guy, and we're gonna do whatever it takes to do it." Dani said.

* * *

Back at the White House, within the oval office, President Foley met with Valerie Gray, head of the elite Ecto Corps, the new government military branch dedicated to fighting ghosts.

Valerie, being too hardened from her numerous encounters fighting the undead, did not taking the meeting seriously at all, leisurely lying back onto a couch while loudly chewing gum and staring at the ceiling.

"So, what's the deal, Tucker? Is this another one of your half-assed attempts to get me drunk so you can get me to sing 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President'? Because, if it is, I swear, I'm gonna blow your head off so you can get Marilyn Monroe to do it herself." Valerie said.

"Nothing like that, Val. This is serious this time." President Foley said.

"You? Serious? The last time that happened was when you told me you annexed Cuba just so you could have a 3-day sex marathon with me in your new beach house."

"Well, as I recalled, you did take me up on that offer, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't. I hired some farm worker to do you while I just raided your fridge the whole weekend. You were way too drunk to tell it wasn't me."

"Well... that explains that illegitimate child scandal. I guess she was my kid after all. Anyway, never mind that. I need you to head up to Fenton Tower and pay Danny and the gang a visit."

Valerie, skeptical of the task, gave President Foley a disgusted look upon hearing the name of her target.

"Danny Fenton?! That cracker-ass retard that lucked his way through fighting half the undead shit that attacks us?! What, do you have a death wish against your friend?!" Valerie asked.

"This is serious, Val. I think he may be in some kinda trouble. I just want you to fly down and take a look. Trash talk him all you want, but please don't fight anyone." President Foley said.

"So, what kind of trouble is this? Is he gonna blow up the planet?"

"No, I don't think so. He just doesn't seem like himself. Just pay him a quick visit, hit me up with an update, and then go back to... whatever it is you do on your 'off' time."

"'Doesn't seem like himself'? Tuck, I'm a soldier, not a therapist. Why don't you have one of your bunny bitches go tug his cock if he's under the weather?"

"Val, he's a married man."

"Like that stopped you."

"What?! I'm not married!"

"You sure about that? Remember that little 'rally' you were late to in New Vegas?"

"...Should I?"

Valerie gave an annoyed scoff and got off the couch, wrapping her gum back within the wrapper and flicking it across the room.

"Christ, what am I, your Ecto Corps head or your goddamn PR? Alright, I'll go and check up on Danny and the 3 stooges. But when I get back, you better have a cold bottle of Hennesy waiting for me, and not that cheap knock-off shit. And I want _Once Upon a Time in Shaolin_. I know you got that shit locked up somewhere in a courthouse after that dumbass pharma boy who bought it got locked up." Valerie said.

Valerie accessed the PDA on her arm, summoning her hoverboard to prepare her flight to Fenton Tower. Before she left, President Foley stopped her one last time.

"Wait, Val!" President Foley said.

"What now, Tucker?" Valerie asked.

"I, uh... I just want you to know that whatever happens, I will always love you, and you are always welcome in my humble abode."

President Foley leaned in for a kiss, hoping to finally touch Valerie's lips, viewing it as a hard-to-reach treasure, but his efforts were quickly met with a very sharp end. Valerie, showing no hesitation, smacked President Foley in the face, knocking him onto the floor to wallow in his moronic actions.

"Nigga, I don't care if you are the president. You try that stupid shit again, I'm gonna take you out JFK style. You are gonna go down as the first president who got his dumbass killed in a drive-by. You got that?" Valerie asked.

President Foley, struggling to get up from the very hard strike that he had endured, gave a 'thumbs up' to show agreement.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have my duties to fill out... Mr. President." Valerie said.

Before leaving, Valerie sarcastically saluted Tucker using only her middle finger to pay her last disrespects. With her mission assigned, Valerie pressed a pedal with her foot, signalling her glider to rush at full speed, heading straight to Fenton Tower.

" _Man, what a woman._ " President Foley said.

* * *

Inside Fenton Tower, the building once home to the ghost-fighting family known as the Fentons, the building is now occupied by numerous malificent specters claiming the bodies of the Fentons for themselves in order to further their plans for world domination.

Walking down the halls of Fenton Tower, seeking out the necessary equipment to create an unusually large Ghost Portal, Vlad Plasmius and SkullTech, in the bodies of Maddie and Jack Fenton, respectively, both searched the halls to find the needed technology.

"So, you haven't talked much since we started. A lot on your mind?" SkullTech asked.

"Well, the woman I love is now dead, I'm currently occupying her body like wearing a suit, and I'm helping someone that I know nothing about in order to get her back. Saying that I have a lot on my mind is a bit of an understatement." Vlad said.

"Hey, okay, I was just asking."

"Who are you, anyway? I haven't seen you before in my old days."

"Technically, you have. I'm SkullTech, the fusion of the ghosts known as Skulker and Technus. Demon Phantom put us together."

"He... put you together? Ghosts can do that?"

"Yeah, that's how he came to be. Didn't you know?"

"N- No, how did he come to be?"

"Well, it's a long story, you're better off asking him when we get back with the stuff."

"Fair enough. Do you know where we're going?"

"No, but I can find out."

SkullTech, reaching a nearby computer terminal, ripped off the front of the desk to expose the circuitry. With the internal components exposed, SkullTech ran several wires from his hands into the circuit board, beginning to hack access to the Fenton Tower's schematics.

"Let's see... Bathrooms, no... Tourist area, no... Laboratory, no... What's this- 'Sex dungeon'? Wow, the Fentons sure were freaks..." SkullTech mumbled.

Vlad, beginning to grow impatient with SkullTech's seemingly apathetic approach to the task at hand, began to grow impatient, not wanting to waste any more time to bring Maddie back to life.

"SkullTech, would you be so kind as to stop wasting time on trivial facts about this building and find the equipment we need?" Vlad asked.

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a wad. No, seriously, you're in a woman's body now, you better watch out for menstruation." SkullTech said.

"This body is dead, you moron. It can't breathe anymore, let alone ovulate. Now, will you please hurry?"

"Alright, already, I'm looking... Here! It's just a few stories below us, in storage room 4304."

"Then what are we still doing here? Let's go-"

Before the two could continue down the stairs to the storage room, the two were immediately met with alarms from the building, possibly due to SkullTech hacking the database.

"SkullTech, you moron, you triggered the alarms!" Vlad said.

"What? That's not right, there's no security that I can't pass through!" SkullTech said.

" _Attention, intruder, you are accessing private information that belongs to the Fenton Family and to Fenton Works, Inc. You are in violation of both the law and of Fenton Works' privacy laws. Stand down now._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

A security camera began to pan on the two, giving M.I.S.T.E.R. a view of the supposed intruders, mistaking them for the true Jack and Maddie Fenton, disabling the alarms.

" _Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. I was not aware that you were in the hall. I was under the impression that you were warding off an ectoplasmic threat in the hangar. Did all go according to plan?_ " M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.

" _What do we do?_ " SkullTech whispered.

" _Let me do the talking. If there's one thing I know from stalking a woman for years, it's every single piece of their personality and how to imitate it._ " Vlad whispered.

Vlad cleared his throat, making sure to keep his new vocal chords in tone with how Maddie Fenton once sounded.

"Hi, there... computer! Sorry to scare you, me and Jack were just taking a little stroll down the halls, now that we beat the ghosts that invaded earlier. Oh, the fight went great, by the way! Thank you so much for asking!" Vlad said.

" _Mrs. Fenton, while you may be the one who created me, my name is still M.I.S.T.E.R., and I would appreciate it if you would refer to me as such._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

"Oh, right, I'm so sorry, you know me, I just get so bubbly after a good fight!"

" _Indeed I do, Mrs. Fenton, would you like the Sex Dungeon prepared for you and Mr. Fenton to relieve the stress that you have accumulated from the past fight?_ "

Behind the possessed faces of the Fentons, both Vlad and SkullTech fought back very disgusted faces in their bodies.

"Oh, no need this time, M.I.S.T.E.R., me and Jack wanted to take a look down in storage room 4304, but we forgot where it was. We were trying to take a look in the computer, but it seems that dear old Jack thought it was a pancake maker and tried to hack it." Vlad said.

"What? That's not what I was-" SkullTech began to say.

Vlad delivered a sharp but discreet elbow to SkullTech's stomach, reminding him of the goal at hand.

"Uh, I mean, I can't believe that we don't have any pancake makers down here? How are we supposed to fight ghosts on an empty stomach?" SkullTech corrected.

" _You recently had plenty of Fenton Fudge Pancake Makers installed in the Sex Dungeon to satisfy your fetish of food play during sexual intercourse as you requested me to do. Are you sure you will not be needing it to relieve your stresses? You always report elevated levels of testosterone and estrogen after a-_ " M.I.S.T.E.R. began to ask.

" _ **NO!**_ " Vlad and SkullTech shouted.

"We mean, we really, _really_ , would much rather visit storage room 4304, for old times' sake. Would you please tell us how to get there again?" Vlad asked.

" _Of course, Mrs. Fenton. Simply take the stairs to reach level 32, then walk through the 5th door on your left side. It will be the first door after the Sex Dungeon._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. answered.

"Thank you so very much, M.I.S.T.E.R., we'll just be going now." Vlad said.

" _Before you leave, Mrs. Fenton, I could not help but notice that you seem to be... physically unwell. Your body does not exhibit many signs of life that may normally be found in human beings. Perhaps you should take a visit to the medical bay to ensure that my sensors are not malfunctioning._ "

"Oh, don't worry about those old sensors, we were just about to build some new things in storage, we'll throw some new sensors in, and maybe even a few new shiny arms, complete with two thumbs on each hand, gotta stay ambidextrous, right?"

" _Hmm... Ambidextrous hands do sound efficient... Very well, I suppose my medical sensors can wait their diagnostic. You and Mr. Fenton have fun, Mrs. Fenton._ "

"You too, M.I.S.T.E.R., goodbye now."

Vlad and SkullTech quickly made their way down the stairs, hoping to avoid the sight of the very intrusive artificial intelligence that was apparently not programmed with any sort of social graces.

"I don't know what's scarier, your impression of Maddie Fenton, or that robot's knowledge of the Fentons' sex lives. Who knows what that thing saw? I'm glad we killed those sickos." SkullTech said.

"That's enough out of you, SkullTech. I'm only doing all this so I can have Maddie back. You help me complete what I need to do that, and then you get the hell out of my way. Besides, once I get her back, I'm beginning to think that I should try that Sex Dungeon with her, see just what she's really in to." Vlad said.

SkullTech gave a disgusted groan, growing sick and tired about hearing about the godforsaken room known as the Sex Dungeon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hangar, Demon Phantom, Ember McLain, and The Fright Knight, all in the guises of Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, and Sam Manson Fenton all awaited something new to do, Ember growing bored and impatient.

Attempting to kill time, Ember began practicing on her guitar, hoping to improve her guitar-playing skills to make productive use of her time. However, as much as she practiced, she found herself growing more and more bored.

"Gah! I'm bored as shit, why can't we go kill some people already?" Ember asked.

"As impatient as the squire is, my liege, you did bring promises of reigning terror upon the humans. As of now, you have yet to deliver on said promises. When shall I have my chance to strike terror into mortal hearts once again?" The Fright Knight asked.

"You will both have your chances, my horsemen, in time. For now, no one assumes anything of us at the moment, believing that we are still the Fentons. While we have that lie shielding us, we should have plenty of time to complete phase 2. Until then, we do not alter the plan because one of you gets bored." Demon Phantom said.

"So what if we blow our cover? It's not like they can do anything about us, you wiped the floor with Danny Phantom, and he was the most powerful fighter on this planet. What are the humans gonna do, spray some anti-ghost goo on us?" Ember asked.

"Even I wield so much power. Against Danny Phantom, against one man, is child's play to me. Against the armies of the entire world, however, is a challenge to say in the least. I want no distractions, much less any that could prove deadly to me. We will continue to wait. There is nothing left to discuss."

"Ugh, fine, whatever. I just wish that I could do something. I can't even masturbate in this damn body, now that this bitch's dead, her cooter's dry as a desert island."

"Such vulgarity from a woman. In my ages, harlots like yourself were nothing to be desired in the kingdoms that I have fought for. Women like you were seen as low, as pathetic and undesirable." The Fright Knight said.

"News flash, buckethead, it's the 21st century, not the dark ages. Grow a pair, would you?"

"How dare you! I have faced countless armies in battle, and all have befell my blade, both during my days of living and my days of death! Who are you to challenge my worthiness?!"

"Enough, both of you! Until we accomplish our goal, we operate as one group, and that means that we work together. I suggest you take that negative energy towards each other and try to turn it positive." Demon Phantom said.

"Like that's ever gonna happen." Ember scoffed.

"As if I would ever-" The Fright Knight began to say.

Before The Fright Knight could finish his sentence, he began to feel a pain in his lower abdomen, causing him to groan from the anguish. Ember and Demon Phantom, not knowing what was going on, took immediate notice.

"What's wrong with you?" Ember asked.

" _This body... Such immense pain... In my stomach..._ " The Fright Knight said.

Upon further inspecting the possessed body of Sam Manson Fenton, Demon Phantom managed to deduce what the issue was.

"Oh, of course. It seems that the body you occupied was, in fact, pregnant. Since the child is dead, your body is beginning to reject it outwards." Demon Phantom said.

" _Wha- What does that mean?_ " The Fright Knight asked.

"It means you're having a miscarriage. Go to the bathroom and wait it out."

" _My liege, you can't be serious-_ "

"Go now and wait for it to come out, otherwise we'll be smelling the afterbirth in your clothes all night, and that's one avoidable hazard I could do without."

Fighting back the pain of the miscarriage, The Fright Knight reluctantly made a visit to the nearest restroom, sitting on a toilet to await the end of his ordeal. Outside the lavatory, Demon Phantom and Ember patiently awaited the return of The Fright Knight.

"You know, I don't get what he's whining about. Miscarriages aren't that bad." Ember said.

"I take it you speak from experience?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Yeah, back when I was alive, guys knocked me up all the time because they were too whiny to use condoms. I always got rid of 'em by getting them to kick me in the stomach 3 days later."

"And you found this a good idea?"

"Well, it was either that, explain to my mom what happened and get my ass whipped with a belt, then carry the bastard to term where they'd tell me to raise it or give it up for adoption. I'd much rather take a kick to the stomach than any of that."

After a loud flushing sound was heard, The Fright Knight emerged from the restroom, his ordeal of the miscarriage finally over. Ember, unexpectedly, was slightly surprised by The Fright Knight's method of disposal for the embryo.

"Dude... You flushed it?" Ember asked.

"Yes, your point is?" The Fright Knight asked.

"Indeed, weren't you bragging about getting miscarriages not 2 minutes ago?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Yeah, but, I at least buried the things. That's just messed up, especially since that was technically Danny's kid." Ember said.

"Well, then, it seems that it was a fitting enough fate for the last of the Fentons." The Fright Knight said.

"What the hell, dude? Nobody can be that cold."

"I was trained to be much colder, McLain."

"And I am the coldest of all of you. Now, if you all please, I would much appreciate some peace and quiet." Demon Phantom said.

At Demon Phantom's request, Ember and The Fright Knight both took their own spots on different sides of the room to await something new to do in peace. Demon Phantom, wanting to be alone as well, sat on the floor with his eyes closed, patiently awaiting his minions to finish their task.

Out of his moment of silence and concentration, he began to notice something in the corner of his senses, something that struck a very strong similarity to himself, but in human form. At this moment, it could mean only one thing.

Danny was still alive.

Looking back on how he had defeated Danny, he began to question whether this was a true warning, let alone one that he should concern himself with. The internal conflict began to show within his face, catching the attention of Ember.

"Hey, big guy, you okay?" Ember asked.

"It is nothing, Ember. Nothing at all." Demon Phantom said.


	10. Chapter 9: Sins of the Past

**CHAPTER 9: SINS OF THE PAST**

In the city of Amity Park, with the numerous and diverse technological advances of the past decade, the city has outmatched even New York City and Las Vegas in providing beautiful sights provided by the numerous businesses that occupy the city. The city once viewed as a haunted town harboring many fringes of scientists, the city has become grandiose and colorful with the new businesses brought into the city.

The only thing that outmatches the sights of the city itself is the skies. As beautiful as the city's sights are, they never outmatch that of a starry night sky. However, as bright and as beautiful as the city's sights are, the lights become blinding to those who try to look up to the sky, never to see the stars from the ground. Should one wish to see the stars again in Amity Park, one would have to be able to fly.

Fortunately, this individual is convenient enough to be able to do so.

Soaring across the night sky on a weaponized hoverboard, flying from coast to coast to complete her assigned mission of inspecting Fenton Tower is Valerie Gray, the hard-boiled head of the Ecto Corps.

Once in her life, Valerie was seen as the high school equivalent of 'riches to rags', turning from a popular girl with a rich father to an unpopular girl forced to befriend herself with the outcasts; Danny Fenton, Tucker Foley, and Sam Manson. For a long while, it was a good life. Good enough, anyway. However, there was still one anger that held dear in her heart.

A hatred of ghosts. Most importantly, a hatred of Danny Phantom. As Danny Phantom was the one to ruin her life and cost her father his job, it only seemed logical to her to exact her revenge on him. Revenge, it seems, has a strange sense of humor.

As Valerie came close to exacting her revenge upon Danny Phantom, she found herself surprised to find that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are the same person. Even funnier, she even began to harbor some feelings towards Danny, so imagine the turmoil she must have felt.

With the combined vices of ectophobia and a love/hate relationship with a boy, Valerie became volatile mix of anger and rage, never quite knowing how to channel these feelings. Years ago, however, on one fateful day, Valerie's life took a turn for far worse.

As she flew across the starry night sky, looking to the stars to find some form of peace, her mind only finds more grief and pain, unable to forget the one fateful day that changed her forever.

* * *

Amity Park, 6 years ago, on a day that seemed no different from the others, the city's defender from the undead, Danny Phantom, flew into the heart of the city to collect on a report of unusual ectoplasmic activity, accompanied by his teammates Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, following closely in a Specter Speeder.

"So, Tucker, glad you spent some time off from City Hall to catch up on the old days?" Danny asked.

" _I'm on a lunch break. Besides, my main focus is getting my presidential campaign starting up._ " Tucker said.

" _Tucker, give it up, you barely edge it out as mayor, what makes you think you're gonna make it to president?_ " Sam asked.

" _You just wait and see, Sammy. I'm gonna make my way to the White House, and none of you guys are gonna stop me. After that, I'm finally gonna have all the girls I want. During high school, not one of them ever gave me a shot because I was a nobody. Being president? Unlimited babes, here I come._ "

" _In 10 seconds, that is._ "

" _President in 10 seconds, huh? I like the sound of that._ "

" _I was referring to your last words._ "

After thinking carefully on Sam's comment, Tucker quickly realized that her joke referred to the last three words he spoke, her time limit referring to a different definition of the word 'come'.

" _Hey, man! That's not cool! Besides, you guys are newlyweds, I doubt you guys can talk from experience._ " Tucker protested.

"Cut the chatter, you guys, we got trouble up ahead." Danny said.

" _What? The ghost's out in the open?_ " Sam asked.

"Not a ghost, something way more dangerous."

Upon landing in the center of their destination, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were all met by Valerie Gray, donning a new version of her battle armor and stepping off a newly-upgraded board.

"Hey, Danny." Valerie said.

"How have you been, Val?" Danny asked.

"Alright so far. Dad's head of VladCo now that their CEO's off the planet, thanks to you, and we're developing so much anti-ghost gear now that we could easily give Fenton Works a run for their money."

"Well, why don't we let numbers take care of that in the long run?"

"I guess we will. So, you guys know what the deal is?"

"You said something about ghosts coming through here. Where is it?"

"That's all part of the exercise here. You three come follow me."

Valerie escorted the trio to a small encampment set up in the corner of the street, several of the tents occupied by VladCo employees watching sophisticated equipment. Danny, never having seen similar equipment before, found himself thinking about what the gear could be for.

"Hey, Tucker, I've never seen any stuff like this before at Fenton Works. It doesn't look anything like any anti-ghost gear I've seen. You're the tech guy, what's your opinion?" Danny asked.

As interested in technology as Tucker was, being a teenager just easing his way into his 18th year of life, something else in particular was on his mind: women.

Despite the dreams of endless women to date being the primary goal of his presidency, there was one woman at that particular moment in time: Valerie Gray.

Even though he still harbored some resentments towards Valerie, most diminished with the steady working friendship between Danny and Valerie, he still did find her extremely attractive. As a more developed woman, Valerie was generously granted very wide hips and thick but not fat legs, accompanied by a pair of 38F natural breasts held tightly in her suit.

Danny, taking notice of Tucker's point of attention, snapped his fingers in front of Tucker's face, instantly gaining his attention.

"I'm sorry, but don't you hate Valerie?" Danny asked.

"Well... not that much. Besides, you two are friends now, I don't have a real reason to hate her." Tucker said.

"What happened to the whole: 'Don't date her, she's going to kill you!' shtick? Or is your boner doing the talking for you?"

"Whatever, man, it's a free country, and I aim to keep it that way once I become president."

"Well, if you keep staring at her like that, she'll probably see to it that you don't live long enough for that to happen."

" _A feisty woman. I always did like that_... Uh, I mean, yeah, whatever you say, man."

"So, what do you make of all this, anyway? None of this tech seems anything like what we have at Fenton Works. You think this is some kind of experiment?"

"I don't know, dude, I haven't seen any of this stuff on the market, probably all top-secret or experimental. Sam, you've got the rich connections, anybody you know working this?"

"My parents know the rich snobs, not me. I just look pretty for them during their stupid parties, in whatever way 'pretty' can apply to the horrors they subject me to. Well, at least I get to drag Danny along and make him look stupid too." Sam said.

"Well, I don't know, I kind of like the suits that they pick out, they look very... debonair. Besides, if I recall, you're starting to enjoy them now that the very idea of me pisses your parents off, and having me in their house is another level of insult." Danny said.

"True, now just wait and see the family reunions."

At the end of the encampment, Valerie escorted the three to a small tent where Damon Gray, VladCo's CEO, head of R&D, and Valerie's father. Upon entering the tent, Damon immediately stood up and welcomed the group.

"Mr. Gray, brought you Danny and his team." Valerie said.

"Good work, Miss Gray. Always a valued member of my team." Damon said.

The two chuckled at their playful jokes and shared a hug.

"Hey, dad. Good to see you again." Valerie said.

"You too, sweetie." Damon said.

After ending his hug with his daughter, Damon Gray turned his attention to Danny, Sam, and Tucker to continue with the purpose for the meeting.

"Danny, how's the family?" Damon asked.

"Good, Mr. Gray, you?" Danny asked.

"Well, as you can see, it's going quite well. Do you know why I called your team here?"

"No, what's the problem? You said there's been a ghost sighting around here?"

"No, at least, not just yet. New gear we've been working on, and I wanted you here to help us test it. If this goes right, VladCo and Fenton Works could possibly have found ourselves a good product to co-finance for military usage."

"Oh, yeah? What is it, a new ghost blaster? We're already working on 6 different ones back at home."

"Not a weapon. A tracker. Something that can track ghost activity before they come up."

"So what? My ghost breath does the trick just fine."

"But we don't have one, and, more importantly, you don't have the ability to spot tears in the walls between our world and the Ghost Zone."

The three all raised their eyebrows at Damon's suggestion, curious about how he had come up with a way to detect reality tears.

"I thought that might get your attention. Yes, after looking into the tears between our world and the Ghost Zone, we realized that there was a way to detect these tears before they happen, allowing us to have faster, more efficient response to ghost invasions, making us able to stop the ghosts before they even have a chance to touch a soul." Damon said.

"I like the sound of that. Definitely make stopping bad guys like Skulker and Desiree a whole lot better." Danny said.

"Well, where's the fun in not having a chase? I'll kinda miss it." Sam said.

"Well, I can tell you where the fun is: A brand new toy for me to play with. So, how's about we go take a look at your detection stuff?" Tucker asked.

"You already saw it, Mr. Mayor." Damon said.

"What? You mean all this stuff you put out here is that detection thing?"

"Yes, I'm afraid all this equipment is still experimental, so we wanted to get a good gear test in before we begin miniaturization works."

"So where do we come in?" Danny asked.

"You three are added security. Since you've helped ward off most of the ghost threats that we've been plagued with, we could use you as added help."

"What, you don't trust me, dad?" Valerie asked.

"Nothing personal, honey, just taking precautions."

"Well, what are we waiting for? I'm ready to go." Danny said.

"I'm afraid we're waiting for the disruption to occur. Our sensors indicate the tear should occur about 10 minutes from now, so I suggest you make yourselves comfortable in the meantime."

Outside the tent, loud alarms suddenly began to blare, catching the attention of the group within. Damon, rushing outside to see the issue, was immediately met with a VladCo employee informing him of a new update.

"Sir! Disruption's early, sir! It's happening right now!" The employee said.

"Get everyone ready! We'll be right there!" Damon said.

As the employee left to make sure all affairs were in order, Damon turned his attention back to the group.

"Danny-" Damon began to say.

"Say no more. Sam and Tucker, let's hit it!" Danny said.

The group all rushed outside, meeting at the center of the area to prepare for the rift to open, with Danny summoning ectoplasmic energy into his fists, Sam preparing her ectoplasmic guns, Tucker preparing a Fenton Thermos, and Valerie holding on to her ectoplasmic cannon.

After several tense seconds of waiting, the rift finally opened, letting loose a ghost into the world to wreak havoc on the Earth. As the ghost emerged, Danny immediately recognized the particular culprit from their previous encounters.

"Youngblood, huh? Haven't seen you in a while." Danny said.

Youngblood, attired in a vampire costume, turned to face Danny, attempting to appear viscous and dangerous, but, being a child, was far too nonthreatening in his appearance to be taken seriously.

"Danny Phantom! Fear my return, for I have come to take over the world of the living for myself! Tremble before my power!" Youngblood said.

As Youngblood gave his speech, he exaggerated his voice to sound deeper and harsher than it actually was, making his efforts appear pathetic. Danny, unable to take Youngblood's threats seriously, burst out laughing almost instantly after he finished.

"Oh, man, this is too much, you guys bring me all the way out here to deal with some major threat, and it's only Youngblood?! Oh, jeez, I can't-" Danny tried to say.

As Danny broke down and began laughing, the other members of the group began to join him in laughing, all to Youngblood's annoyance. Unable to take the verbal abuse of his supposed victims, Youngblood became severely annoyed.

"Hey, shut up, you jerk! Do you know how hard it is to- I mean, you dare laugh at me? You all must die!" Youngblood said.

"Hey, Youngblood, did anyone ever tell you that your 'intimidating' voice sounds like that werewolf guy from those horrible _Twilight_ movies? Shouldn't you have brought a werewolf costume instead?" Danny joked.

As the group continued to laugh at the seemingly harmless Youngblood, Youngblood himself began to grow further and further enraged by his mockery, deciding to put an end to the endless laughing by firing a ectoplasmic beam straight at the group, knocking them all apart and on the ground.

Danny and the group, now knowing that Youngblood was a force to be reckoned with, immediately changed their tone to match his approach.

"Okay, you little brat, you asked for it!" Danny said.

Flying straight towards Youngblood, Danny delivered a powerful ectoplasmic blast straight at him, knocking him back several feet in the air. Following his aerial strike, Danny succeeded with several punches and kicks straight at Youngblood, turning his attack in a mutual fight into a severe punishment for the young ghost.

Youngblood, still possessing his childish stubbornness, did not give in to Danny's attack, following up with 2 heavy ectoplasmic beams shot straight from his eyes, knocking Danny back enough for him to recover. Upon finding enough breathing room, Youngblood followed up with fire blasts headed straight for Danny, compensating for his lack of close combat skills with his long-range attacks.

Danny, utilizing his own freezing powers, countered Youngblood's fire attack with a freeze ray meeting the flames, the two elemental attacks beginning to cancel each other out and lead to a standoff.

On the ground, watching the fight, Valerie managed to recover from Youngblood's initial attack, preparing her cannon and firing it straight at Youngblood, landing a precise shot straight to his body, stopping his attack and allowing Danny to use his freezing attack, encasing Youngblood in ice and causing his encased body to fall to the ground.

"Well, he was a little more feisty than I remember, but not too hard. Thanks for the assist, Val." Danny said.

"Don't mention it, Fenton. You mind wrapping this little rugrat up so we can wrap the test up?" Valerie asked.

"Yes, please do, we might need him for further testing to figure out how ghosts manage to spot these rifts so easily." Damon said.

"Don't worry, we're on it as usual. Tucker?" Danny asked.

As requested, Tucker pulled out his Fenton Thermos and powered it on, preparing to capture Youngblood inside.

"That's _Mayor_ Tucker to you, Danny, and soon-to-be President Tucker Foley." Tucker said.

"Whatever you say, Tucker, just stick him in."

Just before Tucker could activate the thermos and trap the ghost inside, Youngblood's ice began to quickly melt, and soon burst out from his prison of ice, more determined to fight the group again.

"I may have died from polio, but being frozen alive makes that feel like a cakewalk! You're gonna pay, Danny Phantom!" Youngblood said.

Before Danny could react to stop him from attacking, Youngblood let loose a fire blast aimed straight for the experimental rift-detecting equipment, landing a shot straight at several fuel tanks for the generator. Upon reaching the fuel tanks, the flame immediately began to expand and grow so rapidly that the tanks exploded violently, reacting with the surrounding vehicles and other equipment to go off as well, creating an explosion large enough to bring everyone in the area to the ground.

Danny, turning intangible to bypass the effects of the explosion, rolled to the dropped Fenton Thermos, wasting no time to fire it straight at Youngblood and trap him inside, causing him to give a defeated scream before he was sucked inside.

With Youngblood trapped inside the thermos and the threat safely contained, the area soon was secured as the fires were quickly put out by the surrounding VladCo employees. As Danny safely tucked away the Fenton Thermos containing Youngblood, he quickly tended to his downed friends, helping them back on their feet, starting with Sam, following with Tucker, and ending with Valerie.

"Sorry about your tech, I didn't expect him to get so powerful in only a few years' time." Danny said.

"It's okay, as long as you got the little ghoul trapped tight. We've got the schematics, we can build more stuff. Hey, have you seen my dad-" Valerie began to ask.

As Valerie began to ask her question, her question was quickly answered upon finding the body of her dead father among the rubble of the explosion, several VladCo medical personnel surrounding him.

Valerie approached to her father's body, looking to the medical personnel, hoping to hear that he was alright, but the personnel simply shook their heads, revealing that Damon Gray was dead at the hands of Youngblood.

Unable to bear the pain of losing her only parent, Valerie began to cry over the loss of her father, with rage taking the main seat of all the emotions in her. Needing to find blame for her father's death, Valerie immedately rushed to Danny and began punching him, causing several surrounding people to intervene.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU GOT COCKY AND CARELESS! YOU LET MY FATHER DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Valerie yelled.

As Valerie was an unusually strong woman, it took at least 5 VladCo employees to hold her back. Danny, not understanding the reason for him being to blame, tried his best to be apologetic and sympathetic to Valerie as he could.

"Valerie, please, I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen, we had him right there, but we-" Danny tried to say.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! GET OUT OF HERE, ALL OF YOU! I HATE YOU! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Valerie screamed.

Danny, wishing to comfort his friend over the loss of her father but unable to do so, decided to leave the test site and walk back to the Specter Speeder with Sam and Tucker, planning to head home.

"Get the other seat ready, I'm riding in the Specter Speeder." Danny said.

"You don't wanna fly?" Sam asked.

"Not today, I don't."

* * *

As all the terrible events all flashed through Valerie's head, the pain and suffering that she had to cope with losing her father, her only parent for so many years of her life, Valerie began to have even more uncomfortable memories continue to flood her head.

After losing her father, she became head of VladCo, inheriting the leadership of the company from his death. Not caring about the company nor accepting any of its responsibilities, Valerie simply shirked her responsibilities in favor of endless hedonistic life choices, trying to fill a hole in her heart. In the end, she quietly resigned the company and left to live on her own. The new owner of the company soon sold VladCo and its assets to Fenton Works, adding insult to injury to her life.

After giving up the life of CEO, Valerie began to live aimlessly in her own life, choosing to reside in poor housing and never bothered to maintain it, leaving most of them to rot. Many of her landlords, despite being well-paid off on her rent, evicted her on the sole basis that she was detrimental to the sales of their other rooms, not caring for herself or her room, leaving numerous horrible odors to linger and screaming endlessly in her own sleep.

After several months of living on the streets, not bothering to eat or sleep on most days, she was eventually talked into joining a new branch of the military: the Ecto Corps. Still harboring a hatred of ghosts, especially the one who took the life of her father, she became more than eager to join, the excitement being the most emotion that she had ever felt in years.

Within only weeks of training, Valerie quickly became the top cadet of her group, and rose through the ranks faster than any cadet in the Corps, catching the attention of even the government. Within a few years of her service in the Ecto Corps, she became head of the Ecto Corps itself, placed in power by President Foley. Still holding her grudges against Danny Phantom and his associates, she still was reluctant to serve Tucker as president, despite Tucker's best attempts to rectify the broken friendship.

Now, despite her intense hatred of ghosts still at her core, she is forced to sweep those things aside to serve her country.

And, despite her best attempts to see the bright side of the situation, she hates every minute of it.

While the view of a starry night sky would seem peaceful to most, it does little good for this spirit of vengeance. A life that was once lived built on friends and happiness, there is now only anger and misery, trapped behind a guise of crudity and false independence.


	11. Chapter 10: A Streetwalker Named Desiree

**CHAPTER 10: A STREETWALKER NAMED DESIREE**

In the old city of Amity Park, within an old, derelict apartment, the half-human, half-ghost superhero named Dani Phantom resides within as its main tenant. Having no friends nor family to help her in her years of living in poverty and solitude, she has learned to live on her own as an independent woman, trying to find a meaning in her life where there was none.

Unlike many others that try to find meaning in their own lives, none others ever have to deal with the terrible question of who they really are. As the saying goes, 'It is better to be a first-rate version of yourself rather than a second-rate version of someone else'. But, then, what if the only reason that you exist is because you _are_ a second-rate version of someone else?

Such is the case of Dani Phantom, as she is the clone of the once half-human, half-ghost known as Danny Phantom, now reduced to simply Danny Fenton. Years ago, she was cloned from his DNA in order to be a weapon against the real thing in the name of Vlad Plasmius. With Vlad no longer in her life for several years of her life, there was not much to do left, other than to survive.

With Danny Fenton, her genetic source and namesake staying in her apartment at her care, things seem to have become far more complicated in these questions, having the source of her personal identity crisis in her care.

In this moment, however, she has decided to save her questions for later, instead taking the time to prepare herself and Danny for a coming fight with Demon Phantom in order to save the planet from his wrath.

Danny, needing to be ready for the fight against Demon Phantom, did several push-ups on the floor at Dani's command, getting him into shape to prepare for the fight.

" _39... 40... 41... 42..._ " Danny counted.

"You're still a few short of your goal. Keep it up." Dani said.

" _48... 49... 50!_ "

After finishing only his first set of push-ups, Danny fell to the floor, beginning to feel exhausted already. Dani, wishing to be sympathetic towards his needs but firm in order to keep him in shape again, urged him to continue.

"Don't get too comfortable. You've still got at least 4 more sets to go, 50 reps reach." Dani said.

"What's the point of this? How exactly is a few push-ups gonna help us take on a guy I couldn't beat in ghost form? We should be focusing on how to beat him!" Danny said.

"Since you don't have your ghost powers, you're gonna have to rely on some other way to fight. If you've got a better way to beat him, I'm open to suggestions. Otherwise, you've got 1 minute left before your next set."

"What about trying to get my powers back? There's got to be some way to get them back, there just has to be."

"How? Unless you get your hands on a Ghost Portal, that's not gonna happen, because only Fenton Works has one. Not to mention, even if you find one, there's only a chance it'll work again, if it doesn't it'll just fry you alive. 30 seconds left."

"There's always some kind of other way, some kind of-"

Before Danny could finish his sentence, a small flashback hit him, taking him years back into his past. Thinking back to a time where he had to face off against his own best friend turned against him by one of his own enemies. Looking back into his memories, he could remember the time that Tucker was turned into a Phantom by the reality-altering ghost known as Desiree.

Now, with the memory coming to him, he knew what to do next.

"Hey, your time's up. Time for 50 more push-ups." Dani said.

"Wait, I have an idea on how to get my powers back." Danny said.

"Oh, yeah? And how exactly are you gonna do that? Are we going to build a Ghost Portal here?"

"No, I have something else in mind. Do you remember my old opponent, Desiree?"

"...Are you seriously considering what I think you're considering?"

* * *

A few hours later, the two made their way down the streets of old Amity Park, both dressed in heavy jackets to withstand the cold, in search of the one specter that could assist them. Dani, skeptical about Danny's plan, was reluctant to follow through, deciding to question the specifics of the plan.

"So, how exactly do you plan to get one of your oldest enemies to suddenly help you? Were you planning to fight her without any powers, or were you planning on making me do all the work?" Dani asked.

"Easier than that. Demon Phantom wants to take over both all humans and all ghosts. Desiree doesn't exactly enjoy the idea of being ruled over, much less by an evil version of me." Danny said.

"Fair enough. Just remember that this was your idea."

After a few minutes of walking, the two made their way to their destination, standing outside a strip club named ' _The Whorehouse on Haunted Hill_ '. Danny, not expecting their destination to be a place of debauchery, grew skeptical if they were indeed in the right area.

"A strip club? Desiree works in a strip club?" Danny asked.

"For the last few years." Dani answered.

"And how exactly do you know that? Did you two-"

" _No._ I used to work here."

[Soundtrack Cue: Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party]

As the two entered the gentleman's club, the two were immediately met with loud music combined with the sights of scantily clad female ghosts, all removing their clothes at the commission of their sex-crazed patrons. To Danny's surprise, all the performers within were ghosts, none of them still living. Conversely, all the patrons were living humans, comprising the entirety of the customer base.

"A ghost strip club? It's a _ghost_ strip club?" Danny asked.

"Your point is?" Dani asked.

The two continued to search for Desiree, trying to disregard the loud music, pungent odors of sin, and the nude specters displaying their forms for the loud and obnoxious patrons.

"Hey, baby, I may not be able to find peace now that I'm dead, but I can give you 10 minutes of peace for $10 dollars. How about it, sweet cheeks?" A performer offered.

Danny and Dani continued on, ignoring the offer of the undead stripper, much to her disgust and annoyance.

"So how come all the patrons are living people?" Danny asked.

"Male ghosts don't typically care for sex, not the ones that haunt Earth, anyway. As for all the humans, what's the one concern that young, horny guys have when trying to get sex?" Dani asked.

"I don't know."

"Protection against diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Being dead, neither of those things can happen to you, so a new wave of perversion called ectophillia was born."

"Is this legal?"

"No, but it is in Japan."

"And why'd you work here, again?"

"Rent doesn't pay itself. I only got fired because being half-human puts me at risk of getting pregnant or catching or giving something to patrons, which kind of defeats the point of the whole club."

While searching for Desiree, one particular performer caught some familiarity to Danny, making him question the performer's identity.

"Hey, was that Monroe?" Danny asked.

"No, she's working in Vegas. She used to be a Monroe impersonator." Dani said.

After their prolonged search, the two took seats at one stage holding their intended target, Desiree. Making her way to the pole with a sway in her walk, Desiree slowly caressed the pole with her hands, moving her body up and down to match her movements. Sliding her hands down the pole, she slowly approached the pole to begin to allow it between her breasts, sliding them up and down with her hands on the sides.

Almost immediately, patrons all around her began to throw several dollars at her, causing her to continue her dance and move on to more emphasized moves. Taking the pole in one hand, Desiree slowly circled around it, turning to have her buttocks face her patrons, beginning to shake and sway it slowly to build anticipation among her patrons.

Despite Danny having lost his wife and unborn child, the pain suppressed only so much to allow himself to continue his mission, still, outside of his own control, began to find himself aroused at the show, feeling enormous guilt about lusting over another woman after the death of his wife.

"How much money do you have in your pocket?" Dani asked.

"What?! I'm not going to participate in this! My wife is dead, what makes you think I-" Danny began to ask.

"Not for that, stupid. You need to get her attention so we can talk to her alone. How much money do you have?"

Danny reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet, finding that he had approximately $417 in bills.

"I have $417, how much should we offer?" Danny asked.

"All of it." Dani said.

"Are you crazy? What if we need money later?"

"We can get money later, just flash it towards her!"

Despite how much he hated it, Danny flashed his large sum of money to Desiree, the large amount of money catching her attention. After taking the money and counting it carefully, she suddenly became very attentive towards the two, ignoring the other patrons.

"Well, well, for this price, you two can have whatever you want for 1 whole hour. Why don't you two follow me?" Desiree asked.

Stepping down from the stage, Desiree gently took both of their hands and walked them to the back of the club, leading them to a set of rooms set aside for private sessions with performers.

[Soundtrack Cue Fades Out]

As Desiree led her two patrons to a private room to themselves, both Danny and Dani tried to ignore the loud sounds of ecstasy flooding the halls and their eardrums, feeling disgusted at the animalistic noises of released sexual tension.

Upon reaching their private room, Desiree sat the two down onto a comfortable bed, closing the door behind them, silencing out the background noise of the other patrons and performers.

"So, are you two a couple looking to add another woman in the mix, or does he want to watch me do it with her, or did you have something different in mind? If you answer honestly, I can make sure you two enjoy yourselves a whole lot more." Desiree asked.

"Well, if we're being honest, we're not here for sex." Danny said.

Danny and Dani removed their jackets, revealing their identities to Desiree, making her step back in surprise and alarm.

"Danny Phantom and... Dani Phantom? Back after several years?" Desiree asked.

"I would say 'Here on business, not pleasure', but, here, the two pretty much don't have a distinction, do they?" Dani said.

"What do you want? I'm not hurting anyone, why can't you leave me alone?"

"I'm not here to fight you, Desiree. I'm here because I need your help." Danny said.

After taking a moment to process the words that came out of Danny's mouth, standing in complete silence with a non-expressive face, Desiree burst out laughing, falling to the floor.

"What? What's so funny?" Danny asked.

"You want _my_ help? You and I spent years fighting each other, you beating me every single time, and now you suddenly want me to help you?" Desiree asked.

"I need your help. If you don't help me, the entire concept of life itself could be in danger, not to mention you could become the lackey of someone way worse than me from years ago."

"Oh, really? And just who would this person be? Vlad Plasmius? He couldn't hurt me if he wanted to."

"Worse. An evil version of me from an alternate future. A future where anything living is dead and all of you are under his rule."

Upon hearing the next explanation given by Danny, Desiree fell the the floor yet again in laughter, not taking anything that Danny was saying seriously in the slightest, nor concerning herself with any of it.

"Oh, oh, that was truly one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Now, since you gave me quite a good laugh, I'll let you keep your money and go out the door so I can get back to work." Desiree said.

Dani, beginning to show frustration with Desiree's arrogant approach to the situation, changed into her ghost form, rushed to Desiree, and pinned her against the wall, threatening her into taking the conversation more seriously.

"Look, Desiree, we don't have time for games. Whether you want to believe it or not, the evil Danny's real, and he's gonna be a hell of a lot worse on you than we will be. So, if you don't want to be the concubine of an evil dictator hellbent on obliterating all forms of life and taking over all things dead, I suggest you listen carefully to what we need. This evil Danny just killed off all the Fentons, so Danny and I have very little patience for your shit." Dani said.

"Okay, okay, I believe you, just put me down! I'll do whatever you want!" Desiree pleaded.

As requested, Dani released Desiree and allowed her to continue the offer.

"Okay, if I help you, will you leave me alone?" Desiree asked.

"We don't have any intention of staying longer than we have to, so, sure." Danny said.

"Fine, fine, fine. What do you want from me?"

"My evil half tore out my ghost half and destroyed it, leaving me without any ghost powers. Years ago, you gave Tucker ghost powers like mine, before he started to get out of control with them. I want you to do to me what you did to him."

"You want me to put a ghost in you to take over everything that you are and potentially turn you into something evil? Sounds a bit detrimental to your plan, doesn't it?"

"I don't have a choice. Once we stop him, we can worry about me being out of control later."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't give you ghost powers.

"What?! Why not?!"

"My curse of granting the wishes of others has left me long ago. My only tie to that bond was the fact that I had died a virgin, never having been touched by a man before."

"But didn't you used to be the side-girl of some sultan?"

"I had won over his heart, yes, but he was impotent. He was only able to watch me. As I began working in this industry, however, my status as a virgin quickly became lost to me, as the men that come here all quickly choose me for my endowments. Even if I could grant you your powers, there's no way I could grant you with sufficient power to stop this 'other half' of yours, as he defeated you in your prime without any issue."

Danny gave out a disappointed sigh, upset that his one hope on retrieving his ghost powers again was useless.

"Well, thanks just the same, but we'll be going now, _with our money, of course_." Dani said.

Dani took Danny straight to the door, preparing to lead him back to his training to find a new way to prepare to defeat Demon Phantom. Before they left, however, Desiree stopped them one last time.

"Danny? I truly am sorry about your family. In my time, my family was killed and I was sold into slavery, so I understand how the loss and need for revenge must feel. I wish you two the best of luck." Desiree said.

Danny and Dani left the room without saying anything more, moving straight out of the gentleman's club to avoid as much of the sounds, sights, and smells of debauchery as possible.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time." Danny said.

"Don't sweat it, Danny, it was a good idea and a good try. At least you got to see some ghost titties out of it, right?" Dani asked.

Danny began to walk away without saying anything, still reminded of the death of his wife. Dani, realizing her mistake, caught up to Danny to apologize for her well-intended but insensitive comment.

"Danny, I'm sorry, I was just trying to make you feel better, I didn't mean to-" Dani tried to say.

"Forget it, Dani. I quit." Danny said.

Danny sat on the sidewalk, folding his arms and beginning to let out tears over his huge loss, with Dani still trying her best to comfort him.

"Come on, Danny, you can't just quit, what about Demon Phantom?" Dani asked.

"Forget it. If he wants to destroy the world, he can. With my family gone, what else is there to fight for?" Danny asked.

"What about the millions of people who look up to you as a hero? Aren't they worth fighting for?"

"Those millions of people look up to Danny Phantom, the guy with all the powers. I'm not Danny Phantom anymore. I'm just Danny Fenton. I'm nobody."

Dani, not knowing how to comfort him anymore, decided that perhaps comfort was not the answer in this situation. Instead, she elected to try a more hard-edged approach to encourage him on.

Getting up from the ground, Dani picked Danny up and punched him in the face, knocking him against a wall.

"Ah! What the hell are you doing?!" Danny shouted.

Dani grabbed Danny and punched him several times more in his face, then began hitting his body against the wall.

"10 years, for 10 whole years I was left on my own to survive and take care of myself with no help or support whatsoever. I didn't have a great life, but everything moved along pretty well. But you're supposed to be the source of my own genes. You're supposed to be better than me! How can you just lay there and die so easily?!" Dani shouted.

Dani threw Danny to the ground again, causing him to tumble down an alley and hit his back against another wall.

"I don't have my powers, what am I supposed to do?!" Danny pleaded.

Dani delivered a sharp kick to Danny's stomach and pushed his head against the wall, chafing his head against the brick.

"You've relied on your ghost powers way too long! Valerie Gray has no powers, Jazz had no powers, Sam had no powers, but all of them could easily catch up to you! What's your excuse?!" Dani shouted.

"I'm not strong enough! I don't have-" Danny tried to say.

Dani picked up Danny and threw him against an assortment of trash cans, causing him to hit the hard metal and to get himself covered in garbage and dirt.

"I'll tell you what you don't have. Balls. You don't have what it takes to fight. You became dependent on your powers and let them get you soft and weak! You're a burnout! A has-been! A faliure!" Dani shouted.

Danny, no longer able to take the verbal abuse from Dani, got up from the ground and charged her head-on, preparing to finally make his own move in the fight.

" _SHUT UP!_ " Danny shouted.

Danny rushed Dani head-on and pushed her to the ground, knocking her on her back. With his opponent on her back, Danny began punching Dani in the face, giving her no time to recover. Using whatever defense tactics she could in the fight, Dani grabbed Danny's arms, stopping his punches, and kicked him off, sending him into a streetlight, causing the protective glass to fall and hit him in the head, shattering as it did so.

After recovering from his fall, Danny got up again and made his approach to Dani again, taking a careful defensive stance instead of a simple head-on attack.

"Alright, now you're getting it!" Dani said.

Danny threw his first punch, aiming for Dani's face, but missing after Dani carefully dodged the punch. Danny threw several more punches, all trying to anticipate Dani's dodges, but none of them fast enough to land in. Dani, upon learning Danny's attack pattern, grabbed his arm and twisted it, bringing him to the ground, groaning in pain.

Danny, refusing to give up in the fight, kicked at Dani's feet, knocking her on her back, hitting the hard concrete ground. Upon puttin Dani on the ground, Danny followed by delivering an elbow dive to Dani's stomach, knocking all the breath out of her and placing her out of the fight.

Having depleted the energy with his last move, didn't bother getting up, only rolling off of Dani to catch his breath as he laid on the ground. Dani, not having any more fight in herself at the moment, continued to lay on the ground to catch her own breath.

" _I know... what you're trying... to do..._ " Danny said.

" _I'm trying... to get you... motivated... again... and it looks... like it's working... Because if I... can get you... to fight... like that... then you can still... fight Demon Phantom._ " Dani said.

" _Well, for right now... can we just not fight at all for 5 minutes?_ "

" _Make that 10 minutes, I think you hit an ovary with that last move._ "

" _Okay, smoke 'em if you got 'em_."

The two continued to lay on the ground for several more minutes, unable to get up after their small but vicious fight, having put one another out of commission, each needing to rest before being ready to face Demon Phantom.

* * *

In the towering fortress known as Fenton Tower, the plans of Demon Phantom and his 4 horsemen continued to move along smoothly, as Demon Phantom patiently awaited the equipment and parts to create the Ghost Portal to let his Army of Darkness onto the Earth to wipe it clean of any and all life.

Upon waiting for the parts to arrive in the hangar, a warning came to the main control computer, informing those in the room of a coming visitor. Demon Phantom, Ember, and The Fright Knight, in the guise of Danny Phantom, Jazz Fenton, and Sam Manson Fenton, respectively, all put their attention to the computer to see what the matter was.

Upon reading the computer screen, they were informed that a visitor was coming fast to the Fenton Tower. While Ember and The Fright Knight were confused as to who this visitor could be, Demon Phantom recognized the visitor simply by sensing her approach.

"Who the hell's this? Some friend of the Fentons paying a visit?" Ember asked.

"No, my horseman. This is no friend of the Fentons at all, or mine, for that matter. This is Valerie Gray." Demon Phantom said.

"And who is this 'Valerie Gray', my liege?" The Fright Knight asked.

"A ghost hunter, and a very good one at that. If I remember correctly, her and Danny were not on good terms, so expect her to act unfriendly. If we play our cards right, she will not stay long."

"Don't you think she could be trying to attack us?" Ember asked.

"I highly doubt it. Even if she wanted to, she is no threat to any of us."

Valerie Gray, riding upon her hoverboard, entered the hangar of Fenton Tower, immediately finding what appeared to be Danny, Sam, and Jazz waiting for her at the front. Valerie, stepping off her hoverboard, removed her helmet to show her face to her temporary hosts.

"Good evening, Valerie, and to what do I owe the pleasure?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Save the speeches for the diplomats, Danny, I'm only gonna be here for less than an hour. Tucker said that you were acting weird and he wanted me to check on you." Valerie said.

"Tucker, eh? Didn't know he was concerned, what did he say was wrong?"

"He said you were acting weird, so he sent me to take a look around and see if you're not up to something he doesn't like. Personally, I couldn't give a shit what you're doing around here, as long as you leave me alone. Get out of my way so I can get this over with."

Valerie walked past the three to inspect the premises, making her intentions that she wanted no business with the Fentons very clear. Demon Phantom, not knowing of the event which severed the friendship of the two, began to question her.

"Say, Valerie, I don't recall you being so hostile on your previous visits, is something on your mind?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Well, on my 'previous visits', you didn't get my dad killed, so, yeah, I'd say it's PRETTY GODDAMN SAFE TO ASSUME SOMETHING'S ON MY MIND!" Valerie screamed.

"Hold on, now, getting your father killed? Whatever are you talking about?"

"Oh, what are you, stupid?! 6 years ago, my father got killed in an experiment _you_ were supposed to protect him in, and you completely screwed that up and let him die! You seriously don't remember that?!"

"I'm very sorry, I've got a bit of a... blank spot in my head."

"Oh, yeah? Want me to fix that by blowing a hole in that blank spot?!"

The Fright Knight, still possessing the body of Sam Manson Fenton, approached the two with the intent of ending the fight, trying his best to imitate the part of Sam.

"Come, now, is that any way to act? We all truly regret not saving your father's life, but surely you cannot blame us for such an atrocity. Danny did everything that he could to save your father, but even he can only do so much. You must understand that." The Fright Knight said.

Valerie, not convinced of The Fright Knight's portrayal of Sam, gave him a confused look after his speech.

"Uh... What's with the weird dialect?" Valerie asked.

"My apologies, it seems Sam and I have been watching too many vampire films, you know how much she loves them and their eloquent manner of speaking." Demon Phantom said.

"Yeah, well, it looks like you better lay off them for a while. Still, I'm still not forgiving your ass for what you did. Now shut up and let me keep looking."

As Valerie continued her inspection of Fenton Tower, Vlad and SkullTech, under the guise of Maddie and Jack Fenton, walked in with a cart filled with parts and equipment to complete their Ghost Portal.

"Alright, we're back, so how do you want us to begin-" Vlad began to ask.

As Vlad and SkullTech took immediate notice of Valerie inspecting the premises, the two immediately went completely silent and nervous, not knowing if she would see through their facades. Demon Phantom discreetly approached the two and informed them of the situation at hand.

" _It seems that the president has gotten skeptical of us, and sent out a soldier to check on us. Vlad, I'm sure you recognize this one._ " Demon Phantom said.

" _All too well, I'm afraid. I gave her most of the equipment that she used when she began her little anti-ghost war. What do we do?_ " Vlad asked.

" _All of you just keep up your disguises and she'll leave before we know it. It seems that she is all too eager to leave here._ "

As the group whispered to each other, Valerie began only vaguely overhear their conversation, not hearing what the conversation was about, but knowing that something was definetely strange. As Valerie turned to face the group, Vlad and SkullTech innocently smiled and waved, as the real Maddie and Jack Fenton would have done. Valerie, not aware of their facade but skeptical nonetheless, continued to inspect the premises.

* * *

At the White House, President Foley continued to sit uneasily in his office, unable to place his mind on what his concerns were about. While something seemed awfully familiar about the voice patterns that Danny spoke in, he found himself at a loss on naming it.

"He talked so weird, why did it sound so familiar?" President Foley asked.

While thinking back on the possible answer, a sudden flashback came to him, giving him the sudden realization of what the issue was. Lost in thoughts, he remembered a conversation long ago with someone he thought was Danny, but was not.

Remembering a conversation outside of his favorite fast-food eatery, Nasty Burger, talking with someone who he thought was Danny, the events played back in his head once again from years ago.

" _Always with the quips. In my weaker moments I sometimes miss your droll sense of humor_." Dark Danny said.

" _I'm sorry?_ " Tucker asked.

" _I'm just kidding! I beat my other self quite easily. Had you guys going there for a second, didn't I?_ "

Upon having the subsequent events play out into his head, President Foley suddenly realized the truth.

That was not Danny Phantom.

That was Dark Danny.

Upon realizing the truth, President Foley rushed to the phone to contact Valerie Gray, hoping to warn her about the threat before it was too late, frantically rushing back and forth as he awaited the call to pick up.

* * *

Back at Fenton Tower, Valerie's inspection seemingly went nowhere, as there was nothing truly out of the ordinary for the Fentons. At least, nothing that she concerned herself with, still hating the Fentons.

While inspecting the premises, Valerie began to notice a foul, pungent odor beginning to seep into the room. Not knowing what the smell was, she immediately began questioning its source.

"Ugh, it smells like roadkill and sweaty ass crack in here! What the hell is that smell and where is it coming from?!" Valerie complained.

"Hmm. Can't say I know what smell you're talking about, probably just some of the stuff we brought out here." Vlad said.

"That's all just technological parts. Nothing in there should smell like that."

"Oh, you'd be surprised the kind of stuff we make here! It's lot, really!"

"Yeah, well, next time, why don't you throw in a can of air freshener with it?"

Valerie stepped off to continue her inspection in a non-smelling area of the room. As she did so, Vlad and Demon Phantom shared their concerns regarding the smell seeping in the room.

" _What smell is she talking about? I can't smell anything in this dead body._ " Vlad asked.

" _Your body is the smell. It's starting to rot. We'd better try to hurry this along before anything else becomes more apparent._ " Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom, aiming to rush Valerie out the door, approached her to speed things along.

"Say, Valerie, if you haven't found anything wrong, I don't suppose you could move things along faster? We really have some important work to do." The Demon said.

"Yeah, fair enough, I'd rather not stay here much longer anyway." Valerie said.

Before beginning to depart on her hoverboard, Valerie began to get a call from President Foley, bringing her some slight annoyance that he was seemingly getting impatient with her report.

"What do you want, Tucker? I'm on my way back now-" Valerie began to say.

" _VAL! YOU GOTTA GET OUT OF THERE NOW!_ " President Foley said.

"Whoa, whoa, relax, I just checked it out, everything's fine, what's your-"

" _THAT'S NOT DANNY! IT'S HIS EVIL HALF FROM THE FUTURE! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!_ "

"Evil half from the future? Tucker, have you been doing 'shrooms again-"

Before Valerie could finish her sentence, Demon Phantom grabbed her head using only one hand and broke her neck like a dry twig, releasing her body and letting it fall to the ground.

" _Hello?! Valerie?! You there?!_ " President Foley called.

Demon Phantom stepped on the phone, breaking it and ending the call. With a loose end now created, Demon Phantom thought fast on how to resolve the issue.

"Great. Now what? He's gonna figure out something up now that she's dead!" Ember said.

"I had no choice. The president figured out our ruse, so we have much less time than I had hoped for. No matter, I have a few fixes in the works."

"Oh, really? And how do you plan to fix this?" Vlad asked.

"Allow me to show you."

Demon Phantom stuck his hand over Valerie's face, beginning to emit a fog-like cloud from his hand, the vapor beginning to seep into Valerie's body through her nose and mouth. After the vapor entered her body, Valerie seemingly sprung back up to life, rising to her feet. His horsemen, none of them seeing such an ability, all watched in shock and amazement.

"Impossible... You can raise the dead?!" Vlad asked.

"Not quite. A smaller trick I picked up, what I did was allow part of myself into Valerie's body, allowing me to possess and use it temporarily. Everything she sees, I see. Now, using this body to one last advantage, I have a loose end to tie up." Demon Phantom said.

After rising from the ground, Valerie's living body got on her hoverboard and made her way straight back to the White House, arming all the weapons that she could ready for next.

"I doubt he'll be prepared for his own servant to try to kill him. In the meantime, we have a slight change in plans. Vlad and SkullTech, I want you two to head to the roof and begin construction on the Ghost Portal as fast as you can. Once it's ready, wait for my instruction to tell you to activate it." Demon Phantom said.

"What about me and buckethead? Do we get something to do?" Ember asked.

"Of course, my horseman. With our disguises now nil, you and The Fright Knight are free to have fun. Go out and wreak terror on the living. Do what you were meant to do."

"Alright, that's what I'm talking about!"

"Thank you, my liege, I am grateful that you have awarded my patience and loyalty." The Fright Knight said.

Ember and The Fright Knight wasted no time to abandon the bodies of Jazz and Sam, immediately making their way out into the city to begin wreaking havoc among the living once again, now granted new powers and abilities by Demon Phantom.

As the two ghosts set out to begin their terror spree, the remaining ghosts at Fenton Tower began their construction on the Ghost Portal, preparing to bring an Army of Darkness into the world.

"Even if the president sends all his men to us, they will be too late to stop us now. Nothing can stop me now, and anyone who tries would have to be a complete fool." Demon Phantom said.


	12. Chapter 11: State of Emergency

**CHAPTER 11: STATE OF EMERGENCY**

Within the historical city of the Washington, D.C.; the city, being the capital of the nation, holds the White House, the building that housed every leader of the county, past, present and future. Currently, it holds its 47th resident, President Tucker Foley. Despite being a controversial president with his immaturity being very apparent, a result of his own unfulfilled needs for romance and sex as a teenager never fulfilled, he still proved himself to be quite responsible and liked figure in the world of politics, even though most were played for the sake of impressing women.

For the sake of his best friend, Danny Fenton, President Foley decided to put his immaturity and excessive adultery aside in order to not only help his best friend, but to save the entire world from a menace that could decimate the entire human race. Calling his cabinet members together into the Oval Office, President Foley discussed with his administration on how to handle the clear and present danger to the country.

"Mr. President, with all due respect, the last time you called us into your office, you wanted us to partake in a 24-hour marijuana smoke-fest. If this is another one of those instances, I'm afraid that we will not be able to stay within this meeting." The Secretary of State said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you, this is not one of my immature attempts to turn this job into some kind of house party again. Right now, I'm putting all that aside for something way more important. I know I was a huge idiot this whole time I was in office, but, right now, we've got a huge issue on our hands that could potentially mean the end of the world. That's why you're all here today." President Foley said.

"If this issue is a potentially world-ending one, then would you be so kind to share it with us, Mr. President?" The Secretary of Labor asked.

"Over 10 years ago, back when I was an assistant to Danny Phantom, we happened to come across one particular enemy coming from an alternate future. This enemy we nicknamed 'Dark Danny', as he came from a timeline where Danny Phantom turned evil, committing omnicide on anything living. He was easily the most powerful out of all the ghosts we fought, and we just barely beat him back then. We thought we beat him all those years ago, but it looks like he came back, and he may have gotten to Danny first."

The cabinet all took a moment to feel the impact of President Foley's words, most of them took his warning very seriously, considering the most dire consequences; but others remained skeptical of his sincerity, doubting whether they should take this threat seriously.

"Mr. President, you don't expect us to take this seriously, do you? To call your past actions in your final term sketchy is an understatement. Now, with less than two years remaining into your term, you suddenly expect us to believe this lunacy?" The Secretary of Education asked.

"I'm serious! Sure, I know I played some stupid jokes on you all in the past, but, tell me, have I ever once pulled anything when it came to Danny Phantom?" President Foley asked.

Upon thinking over President Foley's last comment, the unconvinced cabinet members had their skepticisms quickly swept aside, realizing that President Foley never once had jokes regarding issues with Danny Phantom. Still, none of the group were without questions about the ordeal on their hands.

"Alright, even if we believe your story about this 'evil Danny Phantom from the future', what are we wasting are time here for? Isn't this the time to initiate the Hades Protocols?" The Secretary of Energy asked.

"That won't work. The Hades Protocols were good enough to stop Danny if he turned on us, but this alternate Danny is way more powerful than ours. From the looks of things, it's- It's even possible that he's dead already. Besides, the Hades Protocols would also not only affect living beings, but it would even destroy their ghosts and erase them from the cosmos forever. There's still some considerable population in the area, so it's a last resort at best." President Foley said.

"In any case, Mr. President, it may be in your best interest to have you escorted to a safe location where you cannot be harmed by any ectoformic threats before we continue further. I suggest we move right away." The Secretary of Defense asked.

"I think you're right. We'd better get moving."

With the Secretary of Defense and numerous Secret Service agents surrounding the president, the group immediately began moving to the White House's bunker, a heavily reinforced bunker lined with Ectoranium to keep out ectoformic threats. On their way to the bunker, President Foley continued expressing his concerns.

"I'll also need you to round up the Ecto Corps and have them deployed straight for Amity Park. I sent Valerie Gray on a scouting mission, but, from the sounds of things, she might be KIA." President Foley asked.

" _Not exactly._ " A familiar voice said.

Judging from the harshness in such a feminine voice, the group immediately recognized the voice belonging to Valerie Gray. The Servicemen, readying themselves for any threat, pulled their weapons and prepared themselves for battle. The Secretary of Defense, moving as fast as he could, continued on to escort the president to the bunker.

"Mr. President, I apologize, but we're going to have to move a little fast." The Secretary of Defense said.

"No sweat, man, just get me safe." President Foley said.

As the two rushed down the halls, Servicemen holding tightly behind, the Secretary and President continued to the bunker, but were stopped in their tracks by the sound of a strange clinking sound that echoed the halls. While wondering what the sound was, not knowing whether or not a threat laid ahead, their question was quickly answered by the sight of two grenades landing in front of the Secretary and President.

While the Secretary and President immediately ducked away from the grenades, two Servicemen immediately jumped on the grenades, supressing the blasts and sacrificing themselves to save the President.

"What the hell's going on?" President Foley asked.

"Gray's been compromised somehow! We need to move, now! Get a perimeter set up around us, now!" The Secretary of Defense said.

The remaining Servicemen surrounded the President and Secretary, following closely as the group continued to move towards safety. As the group tried to move forward, several shots came from an adjacent hallway, hitting two Servicemen, prompting the group to stop and use an alternate route.

Upon trying to take an alternate route to the bunker using a different hallway, the group began to move through an open walkway, causing them to be at risk for danger. The risk suddenly presented itself when Valerie Gray, riding on her hoverboard, flew down from the ceiling, opening fire on the group. Several Servicemen were hit, leaving only a few to get away with the President and Secretary, leaving the President under little protection.

"Area not secure, we need to move back to the office!" The Secretary of Defense said.

The group moved back to the Oval Office, having no choice but to retreat to a smaller area, leaving behind the servicemen at the door to keep out the hostile Valerie Gray.

"Nothing gets past this door, you men stay here!" The Secretary of Defense said.

The Secretary of Defense and President Foley stepped back inside the Oval Office, leaving only the President and cabinet members remaining inside. The cabinet members, while not combat trained, quickly armed themselves and surrounded the President to protect him.

"I don't get it, why the hell is Valerie against us? I wasn't _that_ forward with her, was I?" President Foley asked.

"If this evil Danny is as powerful as you say he is, maybe he found some way to overtake Gray. That means that whatever we're fighting isn't her." The Secretary of Defense said.

Outside the Oval Office, the Servicemen, not prepared nor qualified to take on the most dangerous soldier in the United States military, all remained anxious and unready to handle the coming threat. Valerie Gray was one of the best soldiers the country had ever seen, taking over an entire military branch on her own, and now, having nothing to fight this soldier but handguns, odds seem very much against them.

In a moment that met their anxieties with the one fear that they were afraid to face, Valerie Gray made herself quickly acknowledged by the group, flying in on her hoverboard, taking a moment before attacking to let the Servicemen accept their coming doom.

Inside the Oval Office, multiple screams and gunshots were heard by the occupants, giving them enough audible evidence to imagine what their coming fates would soon be like. Within only seconds, the screams and the gunfire came to a stop, keeping everything uncomfortably silent for a good minutes, building tension in the room.

"What happened? Did they get her?" President Foley asked.

"I wouldn't bet on that just yet, sir." The Secretary of Defense asked.

The door to the Oval Office exploded, blasting the door to pieces and causing a smoky haze to enter the room, giving limited visibility. The cabinet members got up and readied themselves, expecting a fight, but were all quickly met with a slaughter.

Valerie Gray, taking advantage of her gymnastic skills and rigorous military training, effortlessly killed her way through the cabinet members. Using only a small-caliber handgun and a knife, she quickly turned the several armed people within the room into dead bodies lying on the ground.

Starting with the secretary closest to her, Valerie, concealed by the smoke, slit the secretary's throat with her knife, taking his body as a human shield to gun down two more secretaries before disposing her shield. Taking a grenade and tossing it across the room, Valerie killed 13 cabinet members with a single explosion, greatly reducing the number of bodies to move through.

Dropping her handgun and swapping it for another knife, Valerie sliced through two cabinet members, jumping into the air off of their dead bodies. Diving her blades into two more secretaries, Valerie managed to finish them off, leaving two last cabinet members, the Secretary of Defense, and the President.

Taking her knives by the handles, Valerie threw her knives into the two cabinet members, landing them directly into their heads. After taking a handful of shurikens from her holster and tossing them at the Secretary of Defense, ending his life, Valerie was left without any opposition to President Foley, leaving her more than able to take his life at her leisure.

After throwing President Foley onto his desk, Valerie jumped on top of him and put her knee to his neck, leaving him unable to move. Upon having her target secured tightly, Valerie took another gun from her holster and placed it against President Foley's head, preparing to pull the trigger.

"Come on, Val, I'm sorry about that stupid advance before you left, can't you let it go? Why are you doing this?" President Foley asked.

"There is no Valerie, only Demon Phantom." Valerie said.

Valerie cocked back the hammer of her handgun, preparing to fire the bullet into President Foley's skull. President Foley, thinking quickly to save his own life, grabbed a bong from his desk and smashed it against Valerie's head, knocking her to the floor. President Foley, breathing heavily, got up from his desk, looking down in victory at defeating his attacker.

"That was my favorite bong." President Foley said.

Valerie, still not defeated, let out a groan, rubbing her head in pain. President Foley, rushing to find another way to protect himself, salvaged a handgun from the floor, pointing it straight at Valerie. Valerie, seemingly knowing nothing of the fight, reacted in fear.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! You mind pointing that thing somewhere else?!" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, right, you just tried to kill me! You expect me to brush it off like that?" President Foley asked.

"What?! What are you talking about, you dickhead?! I didn't try to kill you, but I might if you don't put down that goddamn gun!"

President Foley, beginning to believe that Valerie was indeed herself again, lowered his weapon and rushed to aid her.

"So... you _don't_ remember killing everyone here to try to kill me?" President Foley asked.

"No, moron. Everything's just been black, now, you mind helping me up?" Valerie asked.

As President Foley continued to help Valerie up from the floor, she finally began to stand on her own two feet again, beginning to stand upright.

"That's better. Guess you're good for two things now." Valerie said.

"Two things? What's the other?" President Foley asked.

Valerie took out a small knife from her holster and drove it directly into President Foley's chest, eliciting an extremely pained but weak groan from President Foley. With her target nearing death with every millimeter of the blade driving deeper into his chest, Valerie continued to drive the knife deeper into President Foley's chest to finish him off and complete her mission.

"Being my personal pin cushion. You always wanted to nail me, so how about I nail you?" Valerie asked.

Unexpectedly, a gunshot sound was heard, following it a slight trail of a streak of light going straight through Valerie's head, killing her and causing her body to fall to the floor, ending the threat against the President. President Foley, unable to cope with the pain of the knife in his chest, leaned back against his desk to see where the stray bullet had come from.

Upon looking in the doorway, a surviving Serviceman limped into the hallway, holding a smoking gun in his hand. Sure enough, the surviving Serviceman was Tedison, the closest thing to a butler that President Foley had during his presidency. Rushing towards the President to administer any and all help he could give, Tedison immediately took the knife from President Foley's chest, coaxing a pained groan out of him.

" _Good job, Jerry... I knew I could count on you._ " President Foley said.

"Just doing my job, sir. I'm going to need you to hold pressure on this, sir." Tedison said.

Tedison took off his jacket and tied it around President Foley's stab wound, pressurizing the wound as heavily as he could. President Foley, not able to withstand the pain and blood loss, struggled heavily to stay conscious.

" _Jerry... Listen to me... You gotta get us to the bunker... I can declare a state of emergency..._ " President Foley said.

"Not to worry, sir, we're getting you there as fast as possible. Just hold on." Tedison said.

Taking President Foley over his shoulder, Tedison carried him to the bunker, trying to fight his limp to secure the President.

"I hate to bring this up now, sir, but my name is Tedison." Tedison said.

" _Oh, right... Sorry about that... I'm always bad with names..._ " President Foley said.

"Right, sir."

* * *

On the streets of Old Amity Park, Danny and Dani Phantom roamed the streets of the derelict city, slowly making their way back to her apartment to come up with their plan to stop Demon Phantom. Due to their skirmish taking more out of themselves than they were expecting, the two made a slower-than-normal pace back, as they were both still exhausted and pained from their fight.

"Hey, is my nose broken?" Dani asked.

"No, it looks fine to me." Danny said.

"Good. If I need rhinoplasty, I'm going to hurt you really badly."

"You can heal, remember?"

"Not everything heals the same, genius. Haven't you ever have your face beaten in?"

"No. All the ghosts I fought just shot at me. Hand-to-hand really wasn't their style."

"Well, guess that's another area to work on."

"How much farther to your apartment?"

"A few more blocks. Shouldn't be too much longer, but the more you whine might make it feel longer. I'm just glad traffic's not bad."

"Traffic? We're walking."

"Down here, road laws are really lax, so sidewalks tend to be treated as extra lanes. There's really no government down here, so anything goes."

"Well, that explains the ghost sex club we just left."

Seemingly out of nowhere, a fast-moving car drove straight for the two, just barely moving out of their way, continuing on its rushed way further down the street. Understandably, neither Danny nor Dani were too pleased by the fact that the reckless driver nearly killed both of them.

" _ASSHOLE!_ " Dani yelled.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding about bad drivers." Danny said.

Not giving them any time to breathe, another car began to rush straight towards them as well, making a collision seem imminent. Dani, acting quickly, grabbed Danny tightly and turned both of them intangible, allowing the car to pass through them without harming them.

"2 in a row? What's going on?" Danny asked.

"I don't know, let's take a look and see." Dani said.

Dani, still holding onto Danny, carried him up to the top of the nearest building, giving them both a view on the road ahead to deduce what the cause of these rushed drivers was. Upon seeing the source of their troubles, they found themselves in for more than they bargained for.

Floating above the city, raining terror down on unsuspecting civilians, stood The Fright Knight, out of the human disguise of Sam Manson Fenton and causing total chaos in the lower city. In a small area where a peaceful farmer's market once stood, the fearsome Fright Knight turned the once peaceful area into a battlefield. Dani, recognizing the threat, immediately made plans to stop him, where Danny still questioned his ability to stop any more threats without his powers.

"Grab onto me and hold tight. We need to get down there." Dani said.

"What, are you, crazy? How are we gonna stop him?" Danny asked.

"Since we don't have any weapons for you to work with, you're just gonna stay behind for backup. If I need you, I'll let you know."

"Wait, how do I-"

Before Danny could further question the poor plan, Dani grabbed him and dragged him into the battlezone, dropping him off behind a destroyed fruit cart. Upon safely dropping him behind the cart, Dani prepared herself to face The Fright Knight.

The Fright Knight, now free once again to exact his terror onto the mortal realm, fired down ectoplasmic lightning down onto the market, demolishing numerous food carts, but not killing anyone just yet, savoring their screams and moments of terror.

One such victim, a young woman attempting to limp away, caught the eye of The Fright Knight, who flew down to the terrified woman. Upon reaching the ground and facing his victim, the woman continued to scream in terror and panic, not wanting to become a victim of the ghost of fear.

"No! Please! Don't kill me!" The woman pleaded.

"Kill you? Who ever said that I wanted to kill you?" The Fright Knight asked.

After cornering the woman against a wall, The Fright Knight took his sword and lightly brushed it against the woman's cheek, causing her to cower and whimper.

"In my years of existing, I have found that mortals are no fun to kill. They simply cease to be, and, unlike me, most of them know the rest of a peaceful afterlife. Those like me are not privileged with such luxuries. Instead, I find that placing them under fear to be much more pleasing. Tell me, woman, what do _you_ fear the most?" The Fright Knight asked.

Preparing his blade for a swift strike, The Fright Knight readied himself to deliver a slash to the woman. With any other blade, a strike like this would kill any person; but with The Fright Knight's blade, a strike from any blade he wields sends its target to a dimension built specifically around their worst fears.

Before The Fright Knight could make his strike, however, an ectoplasmic blast hit him in the back of his head, promptly taking his attention away from his victim and towards his attacker. Upon seeing the attacker that struck him, he was met with the sight of Dani Phantom, standing proudly of her strike on The Fright Knight.

"Yawn. Do all of you ghosts plan these boring monologues, or do you just come up with them on the fly?" Dani asked.

Upon hearing Dani's mocking joke, The Fright Knight quickly readied his blade in anger, focused on nothing more than to destroy his next victim.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME?! I am The Fright Knight! I am the spirit of fear! I will make you scream and shout my name, begging for me to stop my slow work on you!" The Fright Knight said.

"All the guys tell me that. Trust me, I took up a few of them on their offers, and none of them were very good. Besides, I bet a guy like you is compensating for something under all that armor." Dani said.

The Fright Knight, angered by Dani's non-serious approach to his terror, prepared to make his next move. Taking his sword and firing ectoplasmic blasts onto surrounding objects, he turned the numerous objects into terrifying minions to attack her. A car turned into a giant spider, mailboxes turned into zombies, and various fruits turned into bats.

"Come on, you call those things scary? What is this, a haunted house for 5-year olds?" Dani asked.

"Enough of your arrogance! It is time for you to die!" The Fright Knight said.

"Pfft, I think it's time for you to do something about that laryngitis."

The Fright Knight, no longer tolerating of Dani's mockeries of him, ordered his newly formed minions to advance and attack her. Dani, ready for the coming fight, powered up her fists with ectoplasmic energy, ready to fight back.

The zombies moved first, rushing to try to reach Dani and attack her from the ground, but Dani flew off the ground, leaving them unable to reach her. Dani, safely out of the grasp of the zombies, delivered an ectoplasmic blast to them, the force devastating enough to cancel out The Fright Knight's control over them and reverting them back to a pile of mailboxes, now crushed and burned from her power blast.

The bats, having the aerial advantage to attack Dani, began to swarm her and try to bite at her, giving Dani a slight disadvantage with the large amount of bats surrounding her. After charging up enough energy, Dani released a large ectoplasmic blast on the bats, defeating them and turning them back to their original forms as fruit, but leaving most of the fruit smashed and smeared against the surrounding walls.

The giant spider, shooting its webbing straight at Dani, very nearly landed a hit on her, Dani just barely managing to avoid the web attack. The spider, continuing to follow its orders, shot several more webs at Dani, hoping to land one strike on her. Dani, not able to avoid every single strike, was hit by one web shot, encasing her in webbing and causing her to fall to the ground.

Danny, still observing the fight from behind the fruit cart, prepared to make his way to Dani, needing to help her in the fight, but was held back by his own fears of not having any powers. As much as he hated himself for it, Danny stayed behind and only hoped that Dani would pull through.

Fortunately, just as the spider began to move towards Dani and begin its next attack, Dani released a burst of ectoplasmic energy, disintegrating the webbing and freeing herself from the spider's trap. After firing a burst of energy straight at the spider, the spider exploded, reverting back to the car it originally was, albeit in flames, needing serious repair.

The Fright Knight, angered by the ineffectiveness of his minions' attack, readied his sword and rushed straight for Dani, preparing to take her on himself.

"Well, finally, some excitement. You had to make me go through all those pawns before I had to take you, but you don't seem to get that chess is for nerds, do you?" Dani said.

"SILENCE!" The Fright Knight yelled.

The Fright Knight made several well-placed strikes with his sword, each slash moving faster than the speed of sound, hoping to hit his target. Dani, having all of Danny's powers in speed and agility paired with 10 years of experience on her own to use them, dodged The Fright Knight's strikes like child's play, landing in a punch straight to his face, knocking him back several feet across from her in the air.

"You're not very good at this, are you? No wonder you died." Dani said.

The Fright Knight, using a different approach, threw his sword straight at Dani, which she effortlessly dodged, giving a smug smile after doing so.

"Throwing your sword? Really?" Dani asked.

"Not all, harlot. You would do well not to underestimate the skills of a knight, let alone one that has existed for hundred of years." The Fright Knight said.

The sword, unbeknownst to Dani, began returning to The Fright Knight as they spoke, rushing at speeds invisible to the normal human eye. Dani, not having enough time to react, had the blade impale her straight through her stomach, catching her off-guard. Within an instant, Dani was teleported to a realm of her worst fears, making The Fright Knight seem victorious in this fight.

Danny, observing the affair behind the fruit cart, was only able to watch in horror as his female clone was seemingly defeated by The Fright Knight, leaving him defenseless against spirit of fear.

"NO! YOU BASTARD!" Danny yelled.

The Fright Knight, hearing Danny's vengeful shout, took immediate notice of him, turning straight towards him with his sword in his hand. Upon realizing his mistake, Danny immediately began running for cover, with The Fright Knight on his tail, firing ectoplasmic blasts at him.

* * *

Meanwhile, within a pocket dimension unseen from the real world, Dani stood in a void, surrounded by nothing but darkness. Not knowing what happened, she began to question her surroundings, or lack thereof.

"What the hell happened? Did he kill me? Am I dead?" Dani pondered.

As Dani pondered aloud what this place was and how she got in it, she turned around to find herself in front of a mirror. Stranger than the spontaneous appearance of the mirror, however, was the fact that Danny was in where her reflection would be.

"Danny? Why is he in my reflection? He shouldn't-" Dani began to ask.

As Dani looked down at herself, her questions suddenly came to a halt as even more bizarre sights came to her eyes. As she looked at herself, she began to dissolve into ectoplasm, slowly reducing to a puddle. Conversely, the reflection, where Danny remained, stayed intact, beginning to watch her dissolve. Recollecting the horrible memories of her unstable form beginning to dissolve, Dani screamed as she reduced to a puddle of ectoplasm, no longer being a living being.

Miraculously, beneath the puddle, a hole appeared in the ground, causing Dani's remains flow through it. Falling through the hole, the puddle collected to the ground below, beginning to reform back into Dani once again. Dani, shocked and confused at the bizarre experience, stopped to catch her breath, believing things to be over temporarily.

Upon wiping the sweat from her brow, however, Dani noticed that her arms were attached to strings. Looking down at her legs, she suddenly realized that they were attached to strings as well. Frantically trying to free herself from the strings, Dani began to struggle to shake them off, only to have the strings go taut and stop her from moving. Looking up to see who was controlling the strings, Dani saw Vlad Plasmius holding the strings in his hand, smiling down proudly as he enjoyed the sight of controlling her.

"Vlad! Let me go!" Dani yelled.

"You don't honestly think I'd do that, do you? Besides, you have a purpose to serve." Vlad asked.

In another strange turn of events, Danny appeared again, facing straight ahead of Dani. Dani, hopelessly confused in this strange scenario, began to call out to him for help.

"Danny! Hey, Danny! Help! Vlad's got me somehow! Get these strings off me!" Dani shouted.

"He can't hear you, darling. Now, be a good girl and pay attention. You've got to learn everything about him. This is your purpose." Vlad said.

Ghosts began to appear into the room, all attacking Danny, causing him to change into his ghost form and retaliate. As Danny began to fight the ghosts, Vlad pulled on the strings holding Dani, making her mimic his movements.

"Stop this! Stop this! I hate this!" Dani cried.

"This is why you exist, child. You are but a copy of Danny Phantom, and you will serve that purpose well, as this is why I have created you." Vlad said.

Suddenly, the fight came to a stop, and Danny spontaneously was replaced with a gravestone with his name on it. Fading into this strange reality, more gravestones kept appearing, all bearing the names of his family members.

"Well, looks like you don't have much use to your life anymore. I guess I'll let you go now." Vlad said.

Vlad cut the strings, leaving Dani to fall endlessly. Without the strings, Dani could not move, her whole body was paralyzed and unusable. Stuck in this freefall, Dani could only just fall and watch. Finally, Dani landed on what appeared to be a ground, only to find herself in a trash bin full of failed Danny clones. Reaching out their hands, the failed clones began to pull her down into the pit. Being brought down further and further, Dani lost sight of any light, making her vision go black.

Suddenly, Dani's vision returned, revealing her to be in a barren, desolate Earth overrun by ghosts. Here, there is no life; humans have been hunted to extinction, and only the specters of their past selves remain in the world. Believing that she had failed and Demon Phantom had won, Dani fell to her knees, beginning to tear up and groan in emotional pain.

In the midst of her moment of failure, a ghost of Danny appeared in front of Dani, bringing her even more shock and pain.

"You failed to save the world. I don't blame you, you're just a copy of me. I wasn't even good enough to stop Demon Phantom, so why would you be? I guess this is goodbye." Danny said.

After pledging his goodbyes, Danny's ghost disappeared, dissolving into a mist of dust into the wind, leaving Dani alone and helpless to the events she had faced.

"No! NO! NO! _DANNY!_ " Dani cried.

* * *

In the real world, Danny continued to run from The Fright Knight, who continued his attacks, hoping to coax him into changing into Danny Phantom and offer him a better fight.

"Come on, knave! Surely you can scream better than this! Beg me for mercy!" The Fright Knight said.

Danny, barely able to keep running from The Fright Knight, tripped over a brick laying on the ground, causing him to fall face-first into the asphalt ground, severely weakening him and causing him to crawl away from The Fright Knight. As much as he tried to escape his attacker, however, The Fright Knight was far too able to catch up to him.

Upon reaching his target, The Fright Knight threw Danny against the wall, preparing to strike him. As Danny looked up to face The Fright Knight, however, The Fright Knight found himself in for a bit of a surprise, not expecting to see Danny once again.

"YOU?! Impossible! You died! My liege dropped you from your tower to your death!" The Fright Knight said.

"Obviously, he didn't drop me far enough." Danny quipped.

"No matter, I shall kill you myself and bring your head to my master as a gift before we ravage your world!"

As The Fright Knight prepared his sword, Danny looked around, trying to find a feasible object to defend himself with. Upon looking to a pumpkin from a nearby fruit cart, Danny got an idea to stop him and free Dani.

"Don't bet on it, buckethead, I'm not dead yet." Danny said.

The Fright Knight prepared to drive his sword into Danny's body, but Danny grabbed a pumpkin from the stand and blocked the sword's strike with it, temporarily trapping the sword inside. The Fright Knight, knowing what Danny was planning next, desperately attempted to pull his sword out before Danny could recite the necessary poem to trap him forever.

"Wh- What?! No! NO! I SHALL NOT BE STOPPED BY A MORTAL!" The Fright Knight said.

"To cease the storm, to end the fear, the sword must sheath in pumpkin near!" Danny shouted.

After reciting the poem, The Fright Knight was subsequently sucked into his sword, trapped once again into an eternal prison, awaiting another unwitting victim to pull out the sword.

As The Fright Knight was trapped into his prison, the effects of his magic were quickly undone, causing Dani to reappear into the real world again. Danny, happy to see her alive and well, immediately rushed to help her.

"Dani! I did it! I beat The Fright Knight without any powers!" Danny said.

Dani, too shaken by her traumatic experience in The Fright Knight's pocket fear dimension, did not reply; only able to shake and quiver after facing her greatest fears. Unable to stand on her own two feet, Dani fell to her knees, then to the ground, curling into a fetal position. Danny, not knowing what to do, tried to comfort her the best he could.

"Hey, whoa, Dani, calm down, it's over, it's all over now. I got him." Danny said.

" _So much death... So much pain... Make it stop... Make it stop..._ " Dani pleaded.

Danny, doing the only thing that made sense to do, picked Dani up from the ground and continued to make his way back to her apartment, hoping to find some safe shelter before another ghost would arrive.

"Don't you worry, Dani, I'll have you home safe and sound, then we'll figure out what to do next." Danny said.

" _We're all going to die... We're all going to die..._ " Dani said.


	13. Chapter 12: Rock is Dead

**CHAPTER 12: ROCK IS DEAD**

In the old city of Amity Park, in an alleyway once holding a farmer's market for the people of the old city, there now held an abandoned warzone, holding nothing but demolished fruit carts and numerous other destroyed items. The small area, once home to the battle between Danny Fenton and Dani Phantom facing off against the undead black knight known as The Fright Knight, now simply sat in flames, no one any longer in the area.

Elsewhere, the undead teenage rockstar named Ember McLain flew over the destroyed area, hoping to find a new group of the living to terrorize. Believing herself to have found a new area to destroy, Ember made herself audibly and visibly known, hoping to strike fear into any humans on the street.

"Alright, you stupid meat bags, who's ready to- Huh?" Ember asked.

As her eyes glazed over the area, she found that this area to destroy was already far past destroyed, and all those in the area long gone, leaving her without anyone to attack. Ember, hoping at least one person might have been left to terrorize, landed to the ground and scanned the area carefully, seeking a new victim. Unfortunately for her (and fortunately for anyone who might not have escaped in time), no one was left.

Frustrated, Ember let out an angry groan and kicked a partially destroyed fruit stand, shattering the wood against her foot. Continuing on her immature rampage, Ember began to swing her guitar at numerous remaining objects, venting her frustrations on whatever was left.

Out of the corner of her eye, however, one peculiar sight caught her attention. Standing by itself just inside of an alleyway laid a pumpkin with a sword in it. More interestingly, however, the sword was none other than The Fright Knight's sword, leaving her curious to why it remained in a pumpkin.

Her curiosity being further incited by the rogue pumpkin, Ember decided to remove the sword from the pumpkin to inspect the sword. As she removed the sword, however, the pumpkin began to violently let out a strange purple mist from itself, the pumpkin deteriorating as it did so.

Within minutes, the purple mist began to reform itself as The Fright Knight, now free from his vegetable prison. The Fright Knight, less than impressed by being trapped within a pumpkin yet again, rudely took his sword back from Ember and sheathed it, beginning to walk away.

"Hey, buckethead, you mind explaining how you got yourself stuck in a fruit?" Ember asked.

"I have no reason to answer to you, harlot. Now, I have a personal mission to fulfill, one that does not involve you." The Fright Knight said.

"There is no mission you have that does not involve me." A voice said.

Before Ember or The Fright Knight could question who the voice belonged to, the two immediately noticed that neither of them were in the alleyway, but inside Fenton Tower, facing Demon Phantom, the owner of the voice.

"Dude, how'd we get here?" Ember asked.

"I have brought you here, and since I am the one who granted you your powers and your more attractive body, you would do well not to address me as 'dude'." Demon Phantom said.

"My liege, for what reason have you brought us here? Did you not give us permission to terrorize the mortals?" The Fright Knight asked.

"I have, and I decided to pay a little visit to check on you. As I arrived to see you, however, I had overheard that you were defeated by a mortal, becoming trapped within a pumpkin yet again. Upon hearing this news, I brought you here to discuss this further."

"Wait, wait, you brought us here the instant we talked? But, then, you'd have to be, like, faster than light, wouldn't you?" Ember asked.

"I am flattered that you would think me that fast, but, no, my speed only goes above sound as of yet. However, as flattering as your remark is, it is not enough to excuse the explaining needed about this situation from the two of you."

"Wait, what do I have to explain? I didn't even see this full metal asshole until I pulled the sword out!"

"And why did you not accompany him to ensure he did not step out of line, nor why, Fright Knight, did you not accompany Ember for the same reason?"

"My liege, respectfully, the two of us are not easy to mix with. If I had been in the presence of this harlot any longer, it seems that we would have killed each other rather than any mortals." The Fright Knight said.

"Then perhaps it would have been within your interests to find a middle ground rather than find yourselves at my mercy, wouldn't it?"

Ember and The Fright Knight, not having a good excuse to give to Demon Phantom, sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Now, Fright Knight, how were you defeated by a mortal? In order to be trapped within a pumpkin, one must recite the ancient poem to trap you, but very few know the words. How did they accomplish this without the words?" Demon Phantom asked.

"This one knew the words, my liege. That is how he was able to stop me." The Fright Knight said.

"...Did he, now? Tell me, who was this individual? A history buff with a lucky guess?"

"No, my liege. It was Danny Fenton."

Everyone in the room took The Fright Knight's words with extreme caution, none of them feeling safe from the fact that Danny still lived. Demon Phantom took his warning most of all. While he had suspected that Danny might still be alive earlier, his suspicions being made clear were of no help, even if Danny no longer possessed his powers.

"Danny Fenton, you say? And why is it that, despite that I took away his powers, you were unable to beat him?" Demon Phantom asked.

"It seems that he was assisted by a female doppelganger, almost like some sort of twin sister." The Fright Knight said.

"Danielle?" Vlad asked.

"I take it you know her, Vlad?" Demon Phantom asked.

"She was one of my attempts to create my own version of Danny Phantom, the only successful attempt, I might add. She had betrayed me long ago, and I'd no idea what happened to her since. It seems, perhaps, that she was under our noses the entire time."

"Tell me, then, if she is a clone of Danny Phantom, how powerful is she compared to him?"

"I don't know, I never had a chance to test her of her abilities to the complete. She was only a few years old when she left me, her age accelerated to 12. While not as experienced as Danny in facing all of us, she may very well carry the potential to be as powerful as he is."

"Then that means we have a serious threat on our hands, and it must be dealt with as soon as possible."

"I will face the woman myself and destroy her, my liege." The Fright Knight offered.

"No, you will not."

"...My liege? I thought you wished for her gone?"

"I did, but in failing to defeat Danny without any powers, you have proven yourself useless to me, and I have no need for useless minions."

Demon Phantom raised his hand to The Fright Knight, charging ectoplasmic energy into his hand. The Fright Knight, realizing his coming fate, pleaded for his life as much as he could.

"N-No! My liege, please! I was a humble servant to you!" The Fright Knight said.

"If Oblivion holds any of your past victims, I sincerely hope they give you a nice, warm greeting." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom let loose a huge energy blast from his hand, completely enveloping The Fright Knight. Within mere seconds, the energy blast completely disintegrated The Fright Knight, leaving nothing of him but smoke. Within an instant, the undead knight known as The Fright Knight no longer existed, forever erased into Oblivion.

The other horsemen, not wishing to share The Fright Knight's fate, looked on in horror as the spirit of fear was completely destroyed by Demon Phantom with seemingly little effort. Ember, having been standing next to where The Fright Knight was, was the most frightened, having caught a first-hand glimpse of what may come of her.

Demon Phantom, pointing his finger to Ember, gave her the impression that she was soon to see that fate very soon. Demon Phantom, taking amusement at Ember's expression of fear, gave a smile at her quivers of fear.

"You, on the other hand, have a chance at redemption. I want you to go back into the city, find this female Danny Phantom, and bring her to me, alive." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom threw a Fenton Thermos to Ember, who caught it with care, still shaking from the frightening experience of watching The Fright Knight being destroyed. Upon finally composing herself for the coming mission, Ember tucked the thermos on her belt, preparing to hunt the second Phantom.

"So what if I catch Danny with her? You want him too?" Ember asked.

"I suppose killing him once was enough for me. You may kill him if you wish, but at least bring me his body so I know for sure he is dead this time." Demon Phantom said.

"Sweet. Consider your Danny clone bagged."

Ember, wasting no time to catch Dani Phantom, rushed back out of the hangar, already on her way to capture her, her motivation a mixed mess. While there was nothing more she wanted than to stop any potential threats to her new mission, she also wanted to avoid being obliterated by Demon Phantom if she failed.

Demon Phantom, patiently awaiting his disciple to return with her mission completed, sat in silence, awaiting new updates for the status of Vlad and SkullTech to complete the Ghost Portal. Vlad, too curious to have a few of his own questions answered, approached Demon Phantom to have his questions answered.

"I take it you have something to ask me?" Demon Phantom asked.

"I do. SkullTech told me he is a fusion of two ghosts, and that you are as well. I wanted to see if the two ghosts you are composed of happen to be any I know." Vlad said.

"They are."

"And how do you know that?"

"You know, Vlad, I can see you feel some form of guilt by allowing Danny's family to die by my hand. You question if you are on the right side of history."

Vlad, not appreciating the change in the topic of conversation, decided to entertain the discussion further, despite how much he disliked this particular subject.

"As you well know, the woman I loved most was among Danny's family. You took the woman he loved most as well. As much as I hate the boy, and as much as I hate not having Maddie as my own, I also take no pride in the fact that we have taken his woman and unborn child from him. Believing him dead was at least some relief, knowing that he possibly was with them, but knowing he is alive makes that a tad unpleasant." Vlad replied.

"I once understood that pain. That was before I had you take out my human side in my timeline." Demon Phantom replied.

Vlad, not understanding Demon Phantom's reply, seemed confused at his strange reply.

"What are you talking about?" Vlad asked.

"Danny never told you about me? Who and what I am?" Demon Phantom asked.

"No, and neither did SkullTech. He said that you could tell the story better."

"Of course. Well, then. In another time, Danny's family and friends, including Sam Manson, were killed in an explosion what would have been 10 years ago. Danny survived, staying with you. Not able to withstand the pain of losing his family, he begged you to remove his human side, and you complied to help him. Then, separated from that baggage of flesh, I separated your ghost half from your human half and I merged with your ghost half."

Vlad not expecting such a huge revelation of his new master, was left shocked and surprised at the news.

"You- You mean-?" Vlad began to ask.

"Surprise. I am the offspring of your ghost half and Danny's; your greatest creation. Limitless power flows through me, stemming from both yours and his, and, most importantly, no longer being human, you have successfully taken away all my pain." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom rested his hand on Vlad's shoulder, giving a surprisingly warm smile to accompany it.

"Thank you... ...Daddy." The Demon said.

Vlad felt a small reassurance from Demon Phantom's words, though not completely satisfying his internal struggles. While he did not trust Demon Phantom in full, nor did he appreciate having the love of his life killed, one of his dreams was to have Danny as a son figure. As bizarre as this situation was, this may have been the closest he could come.

"And what kind of son would I be without a gift for my father?" Demon Phantom asked.

Before Vlad could question what he meant, Demon Phantom raised his hand and began rushing energy through Vlad, causing his clothes began to transform. For almost the entirety of his stay on Earth, Vlad was wearing his prison clothes from Carcerem, made of a strange fabric that transformed as he did and functioned like his ghost forms' clothing.

Now, his clothes began to chang into his old white suit and cape, just as it looked all those years ago. Additionally, his beard and hair began to change as well, giving him the same appearance as he did back in the days of his prime. With his changes putting him back to the way he remembered himself, there still remained one last relic. That one remainder was his prison collar from Carcerem.

Demon Phantom, wishing to add the finishing touch, proceeded to take it off. Vlad, however, stopped him from doing so, causing him to raise an eyebrow in curiousity.

"I prefer to keep that, it reminds me of what Danny has put me through for all these years. I was planning to get rid of it earlier, but, knowing he's still alive, I prefer to keep it, at least until he's finished off." Vlad explained.

Upon understanding Vlad's reasoning for keeping such a controlling and humiliating piece forced on him from his captors, Demon Phantom's smile returned.

"Of course. How selfish of me. Now, how ready is the portal?" Demon Phantom asked.

"It'll be done within minutes... ...Son." Vlad replied.

Demon Phantom, both flattered and amused that Vlad referred to him as his son, gave a smile at his reply.

"Thank you, father." The Demon replied.

* * *

Walking down the streets of Old Amity Park, Danny Fenton carried his female clone, Dani Phantom, in his arms, as she was far too dismayed and disturbed from her encounter with The Fright Knight to move, other than give fearful shakes.

"Dani, I don't like to complain, but I'm getting a little tired of carrying you. The Fright Knight's far past beaten, why are you still like this?" Danny asked.

Dani did not reply, as she was still in too much a shocked state to speak. Danny, thinking he hurt her feelings further, felt guilty by his choice of words and attempted to give an apology.

"I'm sorry, Dani, I'm not trying to dismiss how you're feeling or anything, but The Fright Knight's gone. He's not coming back. You're safe." Danny said.

Dani, making a quick movement, grabbed onto Danny's shirt, giving him a surprised shock at her unexpected move. Dani, gripping onto Danny tightly, was less than concerned with his words, still caught in the wake of her horrible vision.

" _You don't get it... We can't beat Demon Phantom... We're all going to die..._ " Dani said.

"Come on, just a second ago, you were telling me that I still had it in me to beat him without any powers. If The Fright Knight hadn't gotten you trapped in that 'fear dimension', you would've wiped the floor with him. If you can do that, stopping Demon Phantom'll be easy." Danny said.

" _I can't... I just can't... Just leave me here... Save yourself..._ "

"No way. You didn't give up on me when I was miserable, and I'm not gonna give up on you now. Whatever The Fright Knight put you through, we're gonna get you through it one way or the other."

Before Danny could carry Dani to her apartment to find a way for the two to work through her nightmare together, a loud guitar riff was heard out of the sky, causing him to stop in his tracks in confusion. Upon looking around his surroundings to find there were no possible areas that the sound could be coming from; no radios, no TVs, no street performers; nothing that could play the music.

"Say, Dani, I'm guessing that street performers aren't common around here?" Danny asked.

Before Danny's sarcastic question could be answered, an ectoplasmic energy blast landed straight at the two, knocking Danny on his back and Dani out of his arms, landing against a wall.

As Danny got back up from the ground again, he began to have immediate suspicions about the origin of the blast. Sure enough, within a few seconds, his suspicions were met with the confirmation of the perpetrator. The being who fired the blast was Ember McLain, floating down to the ground as she looked on her handiwork with pleasure.

"Back off, Ember, I might not have my powers, but I'm not going out without a fight!" Danny said.

"Save the macho crap, Danny. I'm gonna kill you soon enough. The reason I'm here is for that clone of yours. Demon Phantom wants her. On second thought, since he said that I can do whatever I want with you, I think maybe I will start with you!" Ember said.

Ember played a heavy riff on her guitar, creating a powerful soundwave blast that knocked Danny on his back, sliding against the concrete ground into a wall. Ember, enjoying the slow treatment of Danny, gave a laugh at his pain, savoring the moment as much as she could.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to finish you off once and for all. I would have loved to have fought you with your powers, have a nice, fair fight; but I kind of like the 'hopeless and powerless' you to fight better. Now I get to make this last better." Ember said.

Ember picked Danny up off the ground, holding him as if he carried no weight, and swung him back and forth between several walls, severely injuring him. Finishing off her attack, Ember threw Danny towards another wall, landing next to Dani, still fearfully laying in shock.

" _Dani... You gotta do something... I can't beat her on my own..._ " Danny said.

" _I can't... I just can't... Can't move... So horrible..._ " Dani said.

" _Come on, snap out of it! I need you!_ "

Danny reached for Dani's hand, trying his best to get Dani out of her state of shock, but, upon reaching her, something completely unexpected happened. Dani, not wanting to be touched, turned back to her ghost form and began to flee. However, her specific route of flight resulted in a new discovery.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Dani yelled.

As Dani began to run away, she phased through Danny, resulting in some new, strange discovery. Instead of phasing through him like any normal object, Dani found herself occupying Danny's body; not fully possessing it, but co-existing with Danny as two entities inside his body. Danny, not realizing what happened at first, got up from the initial surprise.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Danny asked.

 _You tell me, I don't know._ Dani said.

"Whoa! Dani, are you... possessing me?"

 _No, if I did, you'd be shut off right now._

"So what the hell's going on?"

Before the two could further question the strange phenomenon, Ember McLain began to approach the two, chuckling in anticipation to kill Danny and capture Dani. Dani, recognizing the coming danger, instinctively took control of Danny's body, making him fly straight up in the air.

Obviously, neither Danny nor Dani knew how to take this news.

"Whoa! Am- Am I flying?" Danny asked.

 _I thought I was flying, but I'm still in your body. How'd I- How'd we do that?_ Dani asked.

Ember flew back into the air, pursuing the fleeing Danny and Dani, preparing herself to deliver a new attack.

"Running away, huh? I don't know how you can still fly, but you're gonna go down in no time at all!" Ember said.

Taking her pick in hand, Ember played a fast, heavy riff on her guitar, firing several deadly soundwaves straight at Danny.

"Do you love me now? DO YOU LOVE ME NOW?! SAY MY NAME!" Ember shouted.

Danny, not knowing how to defend himself, only watched as the soundwave began to approach him. Dani, again taking control of Danny's body, released an energy blast of her own, negating the soundwaves, protecting the two. Ember, not understanding what was going on, gave a confused look to Danny's seeming return of his powers.

"What the shit?! How do you still have your powers?! That's impossible!" Ember shouted.

Dani, her wits finally returning to her, changed Danny's outer appearance into her ghost form, revealing herself to be the real cause of the sudden return of power. Readying herself to the fight, Dani charged her fists with ectoplasmic energy in preparation.

"Hey, 'EmBitch McLame'! How about we give this a fresh start?" Dani asked.

Ember, preparing herself for a fight with her target, readied her guitar, tuning the strings to a deeper tuning, preparing to deliver heaver soundwaves to her enemy.

"Alright, 'Ditzy Phantom', let's get it on!" Ember shouted.

[Soundtrack Cue: Kittie - Brackish]

Ember rushed straight for Dani and swung her guitar at her, wanting to make a more personal attack, but Dani turned intangible before it struck her, allowing it to harmlessly pass through her. Dani seizing the opportunity for a counter-attack, retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Ember's stomach, knocking her back into a building.

Upon focusing herself back on the fight, Ember caught her balance again, floating back in the air.

"How about some music, dipstick?" Ember said.

Delivering her next attack, Ember played a heavy guitar riff to Dani, firing a soundwave that knocked her back several feet in the air, temporarily disorienting her. Ember, believing herself to be the immediate victor, took a premature celebratory laugh at her opponent's seeming defeat.

Her victory is short-lived, however, Within an instant, Dani appeared behind Ember, giving her just barely enough time to acknowledge the threat behind her. Dani, not pulling any of her punched, delivered a sharp hit right to her face, launching her straight to the concrete ground.

"You call that noise music? You must be tone deaf." Dani taunted.

Ember, beginning to grow angry at her losing status in the fight, retaliated with several swings of her guitar, again resorting to melee attacks. Dani, much more faster than Ember, effortlessly dodged each swing delivered by Ember, smiling as Ember fought poorly.

"I can't believe that Demon Phantom picked you to be part of his little group. I wouldn't pick you if my life depended on it." Dani taunted.

Ember, further angered by Dani's endless taunts and not taking the fight seriously, landed a sharp kick to Dani's face, knocking her to the ground below. Ember, not wanting to waste any more time on her mission, pulled out the Fenton Thermos, preparing to capture her.

"A real comedian, huh? Let's see how far those jokes get you in a soup can!" Ember said.

Ember fired the thermos, aiming it straight for Dani, hoping to capture her and end the fight. However, Ember's poor aim and Dani's fast speeds made it this task far too hard to accomplish, making Ember grow impatient in the fight. With each try to capture Dani within the thermos, Ember's aim began to improve further and further, making Dani's efforts to avoid the beam harder and harder.

Thinking of a way to outsmart Ember, Dani turned invisible, disappearing from Ember's sight and futher provoking her short temper and impatience.

"You can't hide from me! I'm gonna get you, you stupid bitch!" Ember shouted.

Ember, growing more and more impatient by the minute, continued scanning the area for Dani, more than eager to trap her in the Fenton Thermos. Dani, taking notice of a mirror in a shop window, got an idea on how to stop Ember's attack. After positioning herself in front of the mirror, Dani turned herself visible again, preparing to get the attention of Ember.

"By the way, that's a thermos, not a can, you blue-haired bimbo!" Dani shouted.

Ember, taking immediate notice of Dani through her taunt, eagerly fired the thermos at her, believing to finally have the shot to capture her and complete her mission. Dani, her plan coming into effect, dodged the thermos blast, causing its beam to reflect off of the mirror and head straight back at Ember.

Ember, of course, took this surpise deception very heavily and uneasily.

"What?! How did you- NO!" Ember screamed.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

As the beam reached Ember, she immediately began getting pulled in, the beam reflecting back off the mirror and inside thermos, trapping her within. No longer having the thermos in her hands, it fell to the ground, still holding her inside. Dani, having successfully captured her, flew down to the ground and picked it up in victory.

 _Well, we got Ember, but would you mind explaining just what the hell's going on?!_ Danny asked.

"Whoa, how did- Oh, right, I'm still in your body, right?" Dani asked.

 _Yeah, at least I think so. Let me take a look._

Danny took control of his body again, moving to the mirror to better grasp the situation at hand. With his body still in Dani's ghost form, Danny immediatey found himself shocked and confused, not knowing what to make of anything.

 _What the hell?! I'm- I'm you?! Or are you me?!_ Danny asked.

"I don't know. I'm definitely inside your body, but I can still take my ghost form. It looks like that we both share control over your body, but you can talk in your form, where I can talk in my form." Dani said.

 _How does that work?_

"I have no idea. The fact that I'm half-ghost and that you used to be half-ghost might have something to do with this."

 _Weird. So, how do we separate?_

Dani tried to separate from Danny's body, struggling to un-possess him, but could not separate into a separate entity again, leaving them stuck in a bizzare situation.

"I can't do it." Dani said.

 _What?! What do you mean, you can't?!_ Danny asked.

"Meaning it's too hard to separate, at least right this second. For now, how about we get back to my place before another ghost shows up and tries to kill us?" Dani asked.

 _You're right. Maybe we can figure out something then._

Before Dani could make her way to her apartment again, continuing their way to safety, Danny took control of his body again one last time, heading back to the mirror.

"What are you doing?" Dani asked.

 _Just one more thing, even though we're in your ghost form, this is still technically my body, right?_ Danny asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Danny, taking control of his body again, reached his hand down his pants, feeling around to look for something that was formerly resting comfortably in his pants, only to find it was no longer there. Dani, not understanding what he was doing, found herself appalled at his actions.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Dani asked.

 _My dick's gone! What the hell?!_ Danny yelled.

"We're still in my ghost form, moron. Once I- we change to human form, your body'll change back to your old self, all hardware included."

 _Oh, whew. Thanks. Hey, wait, since I'm in a woman's body now..._

Danny began to run his hands onto his new breasts, beginning to feel them around, finding himself liking this new situation. Dani, less than impressed by being quasi-fondled, slapped herself in the face, in turn, slapping Danny in the face as well.

"Perv!" Dani said.

 _What? Technically, it's still my body._ Danny said.

"I'm your clone!"

 _...Like I said, technically still my body._

"If you didn't just snap me out of that nightmare and I could separate from you, I would be kicking your ass right now."

Dani, taking control of his body yet again, continued to make her way to her apartment again, trying to disregard the events of prior. Danny, feeling guilty about his immature actions, tried his best to give an apology.

 _I'm sorry. This has all just been a lot to take in lately._ Danny said.

"It has been for both of us. No excuse to act like a pervert." Dani said.

 _You know, back in the old days when I'd fight off a ghost, I'd always joke around with 'em a lot, not taking anything seriously, like you._

"Your point?"

 _I did it because I was scared. I was scared shitless, not knowing whether or not I was gonna make it, scared whether my family was gonna find out what I was and what I was really doing, scared if my life was going to be alright._

"And?"

 _I'm still scared, Dani._

Upon hearing Danny's confession of fear, Dani stopped walking, taking a moment to fully realize the impact of his words.

 _That thing killed my whole family, and I don't have anyone else to hang onto but you. I might crack some jokes, but it's only because I'm trying to keep myself on my feet until we beat him. Hell, I'm surprised that I can still make jokes at this point. I guess it's because you picked me up a whole lot. Thank you, Dani._ Danny said.

After hearing Danny give his heartfelt moment, knowing he meant everything he said, Dani gave a smile, feeling rewarded for having brought him so far from such a bad place, and perhaps even ready to stand a chance against Demon Phantom.

"You're welcome, Danny. But don't thank me yet. We've still got two more ghosts to go through until Demon Phantom, so just hold on until then." Dani said.

Dani continued to walk back to her apartment, feeling more confident in their mission to defeat Demon Phantom.

"In fairness, if the roles were reversed, I totally would have jerked off." Dani joked.

Danny gave a laugh, knowing that the two were truly very much alike, her being his clone.

"Now who's the pervert?" Danny joked.


	14. Chapter 13: Wisconsin Death Trip

**CHAPTER 13: WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP**

In the old city of Amity Park, resting in what excuses as a safe neighborhood, a small apartment complex holds numerous respectable citizens of Old Amity Park. The tenants are simple folk; both living and dead, simply wishing to be left alone and in peace, away from the troubles of the world.

One such tenant is Dani Phantom, the female clone of Danny Phantom created by Vlad Plasmius. This time, where she would normally come home alone to no company, excluding the recent addition of her new pet cat Spooky, she returned to her apartment with an extra guest; Danny Fenton, the source of her genes.

After a two tiresome fights against the minions of Demon Phantom, the two genetic siblings found themselves stuck in a bizarre scenario: After possessing Danny's body, Dani found herself stuck within, both of them trapped in one single body. Now finally away from any fights, the two decided to take time to separate the two back into separate beings again, with very heavy difficulty doing so.

"Okay, you ready this time?" Danny asked.

 _Ready as I can be, let's get it done already._ Dani said.

Giving as much force as they could, Danny and Dani began moving in separate directions, beginning to split the two apart again. Needing to give as much effort into their split as possible, the two found themselves in severe pain from their efforts, not expecting a separation to be more difficult than the fusion.

After a minute of pained struggles that went on for a seemingly longer period of time, results started to show as Dani began to emerge from Danny's body as its own entity, and, sure enough, split off into a singular body again. With the ordeal finally over and the two separate again, Danny and Dani took heavy breaths to recover from the experience.

"Well, I guess joining together's easy enough, but splitting up is the real trick. Better not try that again if we can help it." Dani said.

"Better yet, if I still had my powers, that might be an efficient way to boost our powers; work together as one." Danny said.

"Yeah, but you don't have your powers anymore. No use in worrying about stuff like that when we need to focus on Demon Phantom."

"I know, I know. Just wishful thinking. At least we bagged 2 out of 5, that's assuming no one freed The Fright Knight from the pumpkin. Since he's not still on us, I think it's safe to assume that hasn't happened."

"Still, that leaves the 3 biggest baddies; Vlad, Demon, and... Wait, who's the third one?"

"Someone new named SkullTech. He's a fusion of Skulker and Technus. I fought him while I was in Demon Phantom's timeline. He looks different than that timeline's version; rather than Technus being in Skulker's suit, it looks like the two turned into one being entirely."

"What, like when we combined?"

"Not like that. They're one whole being now, like Demon Phantom is now; you and I were still separate personalities while we fused. I think that has something to do with you being a Phantom and me having experience with being one, but not having the ghost half to merge anymore."

"Jesus, could this fusion business get any more confusing? What next, are all of them going to combine into some super-ghost?"

"Let's hope not. In any case, if we're going to keep fighting, and if I can't get my powers back, I need weapons."

"Yeah, and where do you plan to get some? Fenton Works has all the good stuff, and it's overrun with 3 of the most powerful ghosts in existence."

"But VladTech has plenty of weapons, some even better than what we have."

"VladTech? Didn't Fenton Works buy it out?"

"We bought the company, but not the headquarters."

"And what is the headquarters?"

Danny allowed a moment of silence, which allowed Dani to articulate what Danny was actually suggesting.

"Wait, you mean Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin?" Dani asked.

"Yeah. After Vlad became mayor, he just sort of abandoned his house after he moved here. Once he left the planet, I imagine the place just got forgotten, everything inside with it." Danny said.

"But wouldn't the governemnt have seized the property? It'd probably be a little hard to get into."

"Well, considering Tucker's presidency consisted of chasing women since he had some relevancy, I doubt it ever crossed his mind. Either way, we need some gear."

Upon considering what kind of equipment could be in store for them at Vlad's mansion, another idea crossed Danny's mind.

"Better yet... Maybe I _can_ get my powers back after all." Danny said.

"How? You need a ghost portal to make that work, and that's if it doesn't just fry you." Dani said.

"Vlad had his own portal to get in and out of the Ghost Zone. It still might work."

Dani, carefully considering all there was to Danny's idea, thought over the potential findings of Vlad's old home, while also considering the emotional effects revisting the place would have on her. Putting her mind towards the more important matters, Dani brushed her emotions aside for the sake of mankind.

"Okay. We'll go to Wisconsin and see if we can get you your powers back. Just don't expect too much there, I still doubt there might be much left." Dani said.

"I've got nothing to lose at this point. Anything's worth a try." Danny said.

Before heading out the door to head to fly to Wisconsin, Dani gave Spooky a pat on the head to bid her pet cat her temporary goodbyes.

"We'll be back, you little bastard. You just keep your claws off my bed." Dani said.

Spooky gave a meow.

* * *

Somewhere in a bunker laying in the midwest United States, the now-recovering President Foley sat in a hospital bed, patiently waiting to heal from his wounds. Not expecting such a horrifying terrorist attack to come to the White House, President Foley found himself disappointed and ashamed with himself at letting his cabinet members die and failing to listen to his friend's needs, which could have saved the country.

Lying unhappily in his hospital bed, President Foley was met by Secret Serviceman Tedison, who had brought him to safety, having been the only survivor of the attack by the compromised Valerie Gray.

"Mr. President, are you feeling better, sir?" Tedison asked.

President Foley did not reply, only continuing to sit in pity.

"Mr. President? Are you alright?" Tedison asked.

"No, Ted, I'm not alright at all. My Ecto Corps head is dead. My whole cabinet's dead. My best friend and his family is dead. Now, the whole apocalypse might be coming sooner than I thought, and it's all my fault. Danny called me, needing the Ecto Corps, and I blew him off to snort cocaine out of a hooker's asshole. What am I, a college kid? I used to be a good president. People looked up to me, and I turned my back on the American people just so I could live out my teenage fantasies. What happened to me?" President Foley said.

Tedison, wanting to stay respectful as a Serviceman but as helpful and personable as he could be, tried his best to comfort his commander-in-chief as best as he could.

"Mr. President, if I may, I never thought of you as a failure. Most Servicemen I knew quit the job because they thought you were some kind of manchild, but I never gave up on you." Tedison said.

"Yeah, right. You're just saying that because you work for me, you don't actually care." President Foley.

"I could have let Valerie kill you, sir, but I didn't. I did everything in my power to get you to safety, and get whoever I could to nurse you back to health. I'd hardly say that I didn't care."

"So what? You just did your job, no big deal, how's that make you any more special?"

"I did that not only because it's my duty, but because you were a good president once, and I still believe you have the capability to do good... Sir."

President Foley let the Serviceman's words settle in for a moment, taking his time to think over what he said. Feeling more convinced by his words, President Foley's spirits began to rise, feeling more empowered by his Serviceman's encouragement.

"I think you're right. Maybe I can still do some good. Thanks, Tedison." President Foley said.

"You're very welcome, sir." Tedison said.

"Was there something you needed from me, or did you just wanna give me a quick pep talk?"

"I came to inform you that we've still had no progress on finding the cause of what compromised Valerie Gray. The forensics team has looked into every forseeable cause of her compromise, everything from possession to reanimation, but nothing matched."

"What'd they do with the body?"

"Nothing yet, sir. It's being kept in the morgue."

"She's not gonna come back, is she?"

"Respectfully, sir, I put a bullet straight through the body's head. There's no way it's going to come back."

"Fair enough. So what now?"

"As of now, you're the only remaining member of the executive branch of the government, and the White House has been compromised. Might this be a good time to address the union, declare a state of emergency, and call in the Ecto Corps?"

"Absolutely. Get a camera crew in here, and split the Ecto Corps; half here with us, and half straight for Fenton Tower, and I want them all armed to the teeth."

* * *

Within Fenton Tower, Demon Phantom sat alone uneasily, his plans of killing President Foley foiled and two of his minions gone. Growing impatient from the lack of results showing from his current ventures, Demon Phantom looked to Vlad and SkullTech to check the status of the Ghost Portal needed to bring the Army of Darkness into the world of the living.

"Vlad, SkullTech, you two have been working for hours now, and my portal doesn't look anywhere near complete. Care to explain yourselves?" Demon Phantom asked.

"It'll be done within minutes. That I can guarantee. After all, you should have a little more faith in your father." Vlad remarked.

"Make no mistake, Vlad. You may be the one who created me, but do not think for a second that I will tolerate failure from anyone, you least of all. The Fright Knight and now Ember have failed me, and my own attack on the president has proven ineffective."

"Ineffective? You mean the president is still alive? Didn't you make things very clear that us becoming discovered was bad?"

"I also made it clear that it no longer mattered at this point. Besides, I still control the body. He will not be alive for-"

Before Demon Phantom could finish his sentence, he noticed a certain presence near Valerie's body, a presence far too familiar and dangerous to him: Danny Fenton. Vlad, taking notice of the sudden silence, began to show concern for Demon Phantom's reaction.

"What?" Vlad asked.

"It seems we have more pressing matters than the government at this point. Danny Fenton is becoming close to getting near a Ghost Portal, and potentially regain his powers." Demon Phantom said.

"So? Didn't you beat him already?"

"Once. He learns, and now, with his family dead, he far less reason to hold back his own power. Not to mention, with your clone still running rampant, the threat towards me is increased twofold."

"Very well. I have created that abomination, I will handle this affair."

"No, you will not. As I said, I control the body, so I will handle this myself. You finish that Ghost Portal and mount it on the roof. You have 10 minutes."

"10 minutes? You expect me to finish by then?"

"If you no longer waste my time with your words, yes."

Vlad, placing his focus back on the Ghost Portal, quickly returned to construction, aiming to finish the portal to avoid any potential punishment. Despite the somewhat warm moment shared earlier with Demon Phantom's past being revealed, Vlad began to grow more and more distrustful of Demon Phantom.

Not occupying the body of Maddie Fenton anymore and having it lie around was no help to his cause either, not having his promises of having her for himself met.

Demon Phantom, placing his concentration on the remaining portion of himself still within the body of Valerie Gray, began to reanimate her body, taking control of the dead and decomposing flesh for himself.

* * *

Within a secure laboratory in the presidential bunker, in laid the body of Valerie Gray, the former hard-boiled head of the Ecto Corps. With her life taken by Demon Phantom, her body now lies on a mortician's slab, immobile and still.

Despite being a woman who followed the 'riches to rags' story, living as an egotistical girl in her high school years, finding more humility with poverty changing her for the better, the loss of her father at the seeming incompetence of Danny Phantom, once a strong ally, changed her to a bitter, angry woman. At least, one would hope, that she would finally find peace for once.

While her soul may have found some peace now, her body has not found peace just yet.

One sliver of a soul remained in the body of Valerie Gray. It was not of her own soul, of her own spirit; but of the malevolent being known as Demon Phantom, the force of evil from an alternate future.

The spirit, working its way through Valerie's body, slowly made its way to the brain, beginning to repair the damage inflicted from the bullet that went through. Rewiring neural connections and membranes, the spirit began to piece together the control center needed to access the muscles and nerves of the body, allowing it to use it once again.

With the damaged brain repaired and the controls to the machine functional again, the spirit, again at the helms of the body, took control of the body of Valerie Gray again. Taking control once again, the spirit rose from the slab, placing its feet on the ground.

Beginning to move forward, the spirit walked away from the table, the cover lying over the body sliding off, leaving it naked and exposed to the elements. Occupying a deceased body and concerned only with completing its mission, the spirit took no mind to this.

The spirit continued to make its way down the halls of the bunker, seeking out the equipment needed for its job. Its job is to seek out and destroy Danny Fenton, and to do this, it needs its equipment of Valerie's weaponry.

After a few minutes of seeking, the spirit found its way to the armory, where a security guard sat, beginning to fall asleep. Upon looking to his unexpected visitor, the security guard found himself surprised out of any sleep he was going to catch, confused to see a naked woman standing before him.

"So... Uh... Can I help you... Ma'am?" The guard asked.

The spirit, not wasting any time with speaking to the guard, delivered a sharp punch to the guard's neck, breaking his windpipe. The guard, choking on his broken trachea, fell dead on the floor, no longer an obstacle for the spirit.

The spirit, making its way into the armory, immediately retrieved its past equipment; putting its battle suit back on, re-holstering all of its weapons, and, most importantly, retrieving its hoverboard, ready to complete its mission.

Now once again ready, the spirit moved on to its next task: Find and kill Danny Fenton.

* * *

In the forgotten city of Madison, Wisconsin, just outside of the abandoned estate of Vlad Masters, better known to the world as Vlad Plasmius, Danny Fenton and Dani Phantom arrived just outside, Dani safely setting Danny on the ground. Not wanting to act too hastily, the two scanned the area, seeking out any threats. After a quick skim of their surroundings, the two decided it was safe to go inside.

"I still say that heading through Plainsville would have been faster." Danny said.

"Don't complain, we're here now, and now we can get what we came for." Dani said.

"Fair enough. Anyway, things should be simple enough. Go in, find the portal, get my powers back, and, boom; fighting chance against Demon Phantom."

"That's assuming you don't just get fried. You're no good in a fight if you're dead, or undead, for that matter."

"It's worth a shot. You ready to go?"

Despite Danny's enthusiasm to get inside and regain his powers once again, Dani was less than ready to head within the building. Having been created in the house long ago by Vlad Plasmius, the mansion felt like a haunted house just by looking at it, not wanting to reminisce on the lie of a life that Vlad put her under.

Beginning to remember the deceitful life that Vlad had given her, Dani began to find herself angered and enraged, wishing she could change the lie of a life that she lived before she knew Vlad's true nature, but never able to change her past.

"Dani? You okay?" Danny asked.

Upon hearing Danny's question of concern, Dani snapped out of her trance of regret and anger.

"Sorry, Danny, let's go." Dani said.

Acting with caution and alertness, Danny and Dani made their way into the mansion, slowly making their way down the abandoned halls to find the laboratory. Not knowing what to expect, the two maintained as much alertness as they could, readying themselves for any ectoformic threat that may come down these abandoned halls.

The once-fanciful mansion, with lack of housekeeping and maintenance, turned from the prestigious home of Vlad Masters into a derelict mausoleum, a rotting time capsule for the early 2000s. With the archaic construction of the mansion, the building had run down over time; spiderwebs accumulated over the ceilings, the walls creaked and groaned with lethargy, and the colors of the paint had decreased in quality to an unhealthy shade of the way it used to look.

Danny and Dani, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary in such a haunting place, made their way to the lab with as much haste as they could muster in such a place. After numerous tense minutes of searching for the entrance to the lab, the two finally stopped to rest in the library, not knowing what to do next.

"We've been searching this place for half an hour now, where's that entrance? Don't you remember?" Dani asked.

"I haven't been in here for years, not to mention he's had this place rebuilt once before. He might've wised up and upped his security. Can't you just phase us through the floor and take us down?" Danny asked.

"We have no idea where it might be exactly. Since you're not a Phantom anymore, you can't survive being intangible like me. If I keep you underground for too long, you could suffocate before we find it. Like I said, you're no good dead or undead in this fight."

"Well, you were made here, why don't you think of something? Isn't there something you remember about the lab?"

"I don't. Vlad might've erased that part of my memory before he moved me to Amity Park."

"Well, there must be something. What if he had some secret entrance?"

"Like what?"

"Well, we're in the library, maybe he has a certain book that acts as the switch?"

"A hidden book switch? How cliche do you think he is?"

"You got a better idea?"

Dani gave a sigh of annoyance, not having a better idea on how to find the secret lab.

"Okay, fine. We'll try your book switch theory." Dani said.

"Thank you. Now, if I were a megalomaniacal creepy old guy who wanted to take over the world and screw my mom, what book would I pick as-" Danny began to ask.

As Danny began to use his detective skills to deduce the correct book, Dani flew into the air, phasing behind the bookcases, and throwing the books off the shelves, most of them nearly hitting Danny. After the ordeal was over, Dani flew back into the room, looking at the book-bashed Danny with a smug smile as he looked at her with a confused face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you finished, Sherlock?" Dani asked.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Danny asked.

"You said one of these books is a switch, so if it didn't fly off the shelves with a simple knock, then it's the switch. Checking all of these books would've taken us hours."

"Oh... Right. I should've thought of that."

The two gave a quick skim of the shelves, searching for a single remaining book, hoping to confirm Danny's theory. Sure enough, within seconds, there remained one single book on the shelves.

"Looks like you might've been right after all." Dani said.

"What book was it?" Danny asked.

"' _The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark_ ', by William Shakespeare. How classical."

"I knew it."

"What? No, you didn't, how the hell would you guess this one?"

" _Hamlet's_ about a guy who kills another guy and marries his wife. Sound like someone you know?"

"...Shut up."

Upon giving the book a decent pull, the bookcase began to turn from the wall, opening a door to the lower levels of the mansion. Taking the stairway leading down, Danny and Dani began to head to the lower levels now within their access.

After a short walk down the stairs, the two found themselves in Vlad's laboratory, untouched and preserved after several years of being sealed away below the mansion. Within the laboratory laid anything and everything that Danny and Dani could think to need; weapons, equipment, vehicles, and all sorts of other useful tools. Most importantly, however, there laid a ghost portal at the end of the room, perfect for their plans.

"Well, there's the portal. Now, where's the 'on' switch?" Danny asked.

20 MINUTES LATER

After a long diagnostic of the portal, ensuring that it was in perfect shape and ready to use, Danny stepped inside the portal, patiently awaiting Dani to activate it.

"You know, if there's one thing I have to give Vlad credit for, it's that he actually thought not to have a button inside the portal where it could kill someone." Danny remarked.

"Don't give him too much credit. You ready?" Dani asked.

"More than ready. Hit it."

Dani pressed the switch to the portal, causing a lethal amount of ectoplasm to flow through Danny's body, causing him immense agony and pain through the experience.

Not used to such a painful experience despite following through such an experience 4 times prior, Danny again screamed in pain from the experience, unable to withstand the large amount of ectoplasm running through his body.

After only a few seconds of agony that seemingly went on for hours, Danny finally emerged from the portal, falling to the ground in exhaustion. Dani quickly rushed to his aid, helping him to his feet again.

"Did it work? Are your powers back?" Dani asked.

Danny took a moment to breathe, just barely overcoming the torture he had to endure the agony of ectoplasm running through his body yet again. Upon finally catching his breath again, Danny stepped away from Dani, giving himself enough room to go ghost again.

"I don't feel different, let's see if I'm just sore. I'm going ghost!" Danny yelled.

Trying to feel for a nerve that once existed in his body again, Danny tried to activate his ghost powers again, just like he once did. After a few minutes of struggling, however, nothing happened, much to his annoyance. Even after the agony of enduring ectoplasm flowing through his body, nothing had changed.

He was still powerless.

"Damn it! It didn't work! It didn't work, goddammit!" Danny yelled.

"Well, it was worth a try. At least you got a cute hair color streak." Dani said.

Danny looked to his hair, finding that a streak of white hair had appeared within, giving him a small reminder of his failure. Not able to stand the fact that he no longer had any powers, Danny began to throw himself into a fit of rage, feeling helpless to stop Demon Phantom.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Dani asked.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! I still don't have my powers, and I still can't hold a fighting chance against Demon Phantom!" Danny yelled.

"So what? We've still got all these weapons, we can stop him-"

"None of this shit is good enough! I failed to save my family! I failed to save the world! I FAILED!"

Grabbing a crowbar from nearby, Danny vented his frustrations on the Ghost Portal and its controls, destroying it and closing off the entrance to the Ghost Zone that it temporarily provided. Dani, not able to stand Danny throw his fit of rage, tried whatever she could to calm him down again.

"Danny, calm down, it's okay, we can still-" Dani tried to say.

"WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING! WE'RE DEAD! WE'RE ALL DEAD! EVERYTHING IS GONE, EVERYTHING I'VE EVER LIVED FOR IS-" Danny began to say.

After his extremely emotional rant and meltdown, Danny found himself unable to take any more, finally passing out and falling to the ground. Dani, acting quickly to avoid allowing him injury, caught him as he fell, softening his fall. Once Dani managed to soften his fall, she slowly placed Danny on the floor, then trying her best to encourage him on.

"Come on, Danny, you've made it this far, you can't give up now! I won't let you just give up, now get back up!" Dani said.

Dani shook Danny as hard as she could, trying to encourage him to continue on yet again. As much as she tried, nothing worked, as he still laid unconscious on the floor.

"Come on, Danny! Get up! Get up!" Dani said.

Again, Dani's efforts to get Danny on his feet again proved to be of no use, as there was no spirit left within him to continue on. Dani, not knowing how to get Danny to find his strength again, gave up on trying. Not having any way to bring Danny to fight again, Dani sat beside him, sitting down in defeat.

"I don't believe it. I got you this far, and you just throw in the towel. You used to be stronger than this." Dani said.

Before Dani could sulk in any pity, either for herself or for Danny, and explosion occurred just a few feet from the two, knocking them both against a wall. Dani, quickly taking notice to the explosion, turned to see the cause of the explosion. To her surprise, the cause was Valerie Gray riding upon her hoverboard, or, at least, it appeared to be her.

"Valerie? What are you doing? It's me, Dani!" Dani said.

Valerie paid no mind to Dani's plea, preparing a submachine gun to fire straight at her. Pulling the trigger of the submachine gun, Valerie let loose a storm of bullets headed straight for Dani. Dani, acting quickly, jumped away to dodge the bullets, getting struck with one stray bullet that landed in her leg.

Upon feeling the bullet enter her leg, she felt an immense pain that outperformed the impact of a standard bullet. The bullet was laced with Ectoranium, making it deadly to any ghost and any Phantom it hit.

[Soundtrack Cue: Rammstein - Halleluja]

Acting quickly to avoid the next series of shots, Dani phased through the ceiling, hoping Danny would be safe as she left him behind. Valerie, flying back up the stairs, quickly met with Dani in the library, ready to continue the fight.

Taking advantage of the mess Dani made earlier, Valerie threw a pyrotechnic grenade on the pile of books left on the floor, creating a large bonfire in the room. Dani, more accustomed to seeing in the dark as a half-ghost, had difficulty spotting Valerie through the immense light of the flames. Valerie, taking advantage of the situation, adjusted her hoverboard to stealth mode, causing it to go dead silent.

Valerie, taking advantage of the blinding flames, rushed to Dani with an Ectoranium knife, landing a deep cut into Dani's side. Dani, just barely catching a glimpse of Valerie, fired an ectoplasmic blast near her, hoping to land a hit. Unfortunately for her, she failed to land a hit.

Valerie approached with another strike at Dani's cheek, further drawing blood. Dani, still unable to anticipate her moves, fired another blast towards her, missing yet again. This time, her stray shot landed into a bookshelf, causing it to land in the fire and catch aflame as well.

Valerie approached to make yet another strike, this time embedding the knife in Dani's stomach. Dani, unable to withstand the immense pain of the poisonous Ectoranium blade in her body, let out a pained scream. Acting quickly to save herself, Dani fired an ectoplasmic blast to Valerie's chest, knocking her back several feet. Having put a safe distance between the two, Dani pulled the knife out from herself, trying to reason with Valerie as best as she could.

"Valerie, why are you doing this? We were friends! What did I do to you?" Dani asked.

"There is no Valerie, only the Demon." Valerie said.

Upon realizing the truth about her attacker, Dani felt an overcoming sadness for the loss of her friend, but also feeling anger towards the being that took her friend away. Placing her mind back on the fight, Dani rushed to attack the possessed body of Valerie Gray.

The possessed Valerie Gray, ready for the coming attack, pulled out a handgun and fired several shots straight for Dani, hoping to land a killing shot. Dani, moving faster than the human eye could see, seemingly disappeared as she reappeared behind Valerie, firing an ectoplasmic blast straight into her back, knocking her to the ground.

Dani flew to the ground, meeting her in a spot of floor that was not yet touched by the flames. Valerie, preparing an Ectoranium machete in her hand, prepared to fight Dani head-on. Dani, materializing an ectoplasmic blade from her wrists, prepared to fight her former friend as well.

Valerie made her move first, swinging several strikes with her Ectoranium machete straight at Dani, aiming for her neck and stomach. Dani, acting carefully to avoid the strikes, dodged the swings with superhuman speed, just barely missing the swings.

Ready to retaliate, Dani prepared her ectoplasmic blades and slashed at Valerie, aiming for more vital places as well. After making several well-placed strikes, however, Dani's strikes proved to be just as ineffective, as Valerie, having the muscle memory of sufficient dodging techniques, quickly dodged her strikes as well.

After the two were stuck in a mutual deadlock for a good minute, the both of them striking at each other with numerous stabs and strikes that just barely missed each other, each only making small nicks at each others' skin and hair, Dani finally lucked out with an attack.

Dani landed a cut to Valerie's hand, causing her to drop her Ectoranium machete. Now leaving her defenseless, Dani swiftly landed a slice to Valerie's neck, decapitating her and causing her head to fall across the floor. Having defeated her enemy, Dani gave a victorious grunt, believing herself to be the victor.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

However, even though Valerie's body no longer had a head, her body was not defeated just yet, as it still stood. The body, walking back towards its severed head, placed it firmly back on top, giving its neck a crack as it went back into place. Dani, not believing the sights she was seeing, felt her jaw drop as she looked on the sight with amazement and shock.

"What the fu-" Dani tried to say.

Before Dani could finish her sentence, Valerie took out a handgun and landed several shots into Dani, causing her to fall to the floor in pain, cringing from the Ectoranium poisoning.

Valerie, having her prey in the perfect finishing position, summoned her hoverboard and jumped back on top, preparing its weapons to fire right upon her.

"The realms of the living and dead will be mine. If you can reach Oblivion, abomination, I sincerely hope you enjoy it." Valerie said.

Before Valerie could fire her weapons upon Dani, a missile flew seemingly out of nowhere, heading straight for Valerie. Before she could realize what was happening, the missile landed straight at Valerie, vaporizing her body and destroying her hoverboard, causing shrapnel from the board to fly over the room.

As Dani looked to see where the missile came from, she saw a group of armed Servicemen accompanied by President Foley, holding a smoking rocket launcher, revealing the group to be her saviors.

"Try possessing that, dickhead." President Foley remarked.

Acting quickly, numerous Servicemen took fire extinguishers and fought off the bonfire, beginning to pacify it after a long struggle against the flames. President Foley, accompanied by his medical personnel, helped Dani up and placed her onto a hospital stretcher, preparing to get her to safety.

"Don't you worry, girl, you and Danny are gonna be just fine. Just hold on." President Foley said.

After two medical personnel came back from the basement with Danny Fenton in their arms, they carefully laid him on a hospital stretcher, preparing to take him and Dani back to the bunker for safety.

As Danny laid in the stretcher, barely beginning to regain his consciousness, President Foley personally accompanied him, ensuring he got the best medical treatment possible. Upon seeing President Foley, Danny made eye contact with him, acknowledging his presence.

"You know, as someone who told you to stay away from Valerie back in school, I seriously regret not taking my own advice." President Foley joked.


	15. Chapter 14: Dawn of the Dead

**CHAPTER 14: DAWN OF THE DEAD**

At the presidential bunker residing underneath the former estate of Vlad Masters, within a medical laboratory loaded with the most sophisticated technology to cure some of even the most severe of diseases, the former half-ghost man named Danny Fenton rested softly within on a small bed. After enduring yet another failed attempt to regain his undead abilities as Danny Phantom and riddled with the guilt of being unable to avenge his family, Danny yet again contemplated giving up on his mission, falling unconscious from being unable to endure the stress.

Enduring ungodly numbers of stress was the least of his problems, however, as the spiritually compromised Valerie Gray hit his body with an explosive, knocking him further unconscious and bringing severe damage to his body. Fortunately, through the wonders of modern technology, even the most severe of injuries brought about by conventional warfare can be quickly swept away like a case of the common cold, and such is the case with Danny Fenton.

After a long, much-needed sleep, finally awakening from his state of unconsciousness, Danny finally began to rise from his bed, his senses being met with the bright light of the room and the steady beeping of the EKG meter attached to his wrist. When the temporary whiteout of the light finally began to subside as his eyes began to adjust themselves to the light of the room, Danny's eyes were met with one more sight, one much less welcome after recent events.

Sitting in front of him was President Tucker Foley, the current president of the United States, the only surviving member of the executive branch of the government, and Danny's former best friend, though the latter fact happens to be in a flux state at this moment in time. Sitting to his sides were two Secret Servicemen, standing alert at his protection, as well as Dani Phantom, who patiently awaited Danny's awakening.

"Hey, Danny, you doin' alright?" President Foley asked.

Danny, mustering up all the energy in his body all at once, jumped off his bed straight for President Foley, reaching his hands around his throat and beginning to strangle him. The Servicemen, despite their strength and training and the aid of Dani, had a very difficult time trying to take someone as dedicated and focused as Danny away from his task of strangling his former best friend.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU SENTENCED MY FAMILY TO DIE!" Danny shouted.

" _Danny... Please... Calm down... Let me apologize..._ " President Foley struggled to say.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR APOLOGIES, YOU ASSHOLE! I WANT YOUR GODDAMN HEAD ON A STICK!"

After several tense minutes of struggling, Dani and the Servicemen managed to get Danny off of President Foley, giving Foley a moment to breathe and cough off the assault that he endured. Danny, still not ready to give up, continued to struggle to attack President Foley once again.

"Danny! Calm down! Let him talk!" Dani pleaded.

"'Let him talk'?! You think I want to hear anything he has to say?!" Danny shouted.

"Danny, if you don't calm down, the doctors are just gonna tranq you and put you back to sleep. Do you want that?"

Not wanting to be forcefully tranquilized into sleep after several hours of unconsciousness, Danny finally stopped struggling and loosened himself from fighting further, breathing heavily to calm himself down. After Danny demonstrated his willingness to behave, Dani and the Servicemen released him, gently setting him on his two feet again.

"Okay, I deserved that strangle." President Foley said.

"Yep." Danny said.

"And I probably deserve way more than that."

"Yep."

"And I've been a totally shitty friend to you."

"Yep."

"And I could've-"

"Yep."

"...You didn't even hear what I was gonna say."

"It was gonna be something along the lines on how you've been a big piece of shit and got my whole family killed."

Knowing that his words were not enough to repair the damage he had done to Danny Fenton and his family as well as their personal friendship, President Foley gave a heavy sigh, thinking about an easier way to approach this conversation with his friend.

"I admit it. My stupid recklessness got your family killed. You wanted the Ecto Corps, and I was too busy smoking weed and doing porn stars. Hell, I was in the middle of a high when you called me. I should've listened to you. I admit it, I really do. You know, your family were friends of mine too. I didn't want any of them to die, I didn't want any of this to happen." President Foley said.

"Funny way of showing it." Danny said.

"Come on, Danny, give me at least a little credit. You, me, and Sam were all best friends back since we were all in diapers. You two were my best friends. Do you really think I'd let anything bad happen to any of you on purpose?"

"You already did. You're the president, you're supposed to have more responsibility than what you do. You were so obsessed with trying to get a date in school that you spent practically most of your politcal career on trying to pick up women. All of the supposedly good stuff you did was all for women. Hell, you wouldn't even have cared about legalizing pot if it wasn't for that stoner chick from New Jersey you were sleeping with during your campaign."

"Okay, yes, I've spent a lot of my life chasing women, using a lot of my time trying to get in their pants rather than trying to build a better country for them or anyone else. And in that distraction, I started to lose track of our friendship and how it affected everything else, and I didn't listen to you when you needed my help. I'm sorry, Danny. I really am. I just, I... I-"

"You fucked up."

Not having a more eloquent way to word the situation that he had put himself in, President Foley let out another heavy sigh after thinking over his next words carefully.

"You're right. I did. Big time. Believe me, the absolute last thing that I wanted to do was to allow all this to happen. There's nothing I can do to bring your family back, and, even though this probably won't be enough for you, I'm sending the Ecto Corps straight for Fenton Tower right now to finish Dark Danny and his goons off. Mission control's waiting for me to give the orders, I thought you might want a front seat in watching them all bite the dust once and for all. It won't bring back your family, but it'll avenge them for damn sure. You wanna watch?" President Foley asked.

Danny thought over President Foley's offer carefully; while he wanted absolutely nothing more than to destroy the ghost that murdered his entire family, perhaps this was the next best thing he could get, especially since President Foley wanted to make amends for his poor past decisions.

"Okay, but for this, I'd better have the best seat." Danny said.

"You can have mine, it's got plenty a good view." President Foley said.

* * *

In the heart of the presidential bunker laid the command center, a huge room filled with sophisticated technology capable of monitoring and commanding all of the armed forces of the country. Sitting in the commanding chair was Danny Fenton, as he requested the seat, and standing to his side was President Foley, preparing to coordinate an attack on Fenton Tower.

* * *

Miles away, in Amity Park, an infantry division of Ecto Corps, the anti-ghost branch of the United States Military, made their way to Fenton Tower, surrounding the building and blocking all entry. Among the division, accompanying the heavily armed soldiers, mounted on the back of a large truck, was a missile launcher carrying a heavy load of Ectoranium missiles; enough to destroy Fenton Tower and send any ghost within to Oblivion.

* * *

At the command center, President Foley watched the screens of the controls, carefully monitoring the movements of the Ecto Corps. Carefully and strategically placing the troops to their positions, President Foley made extremely sure to have all troops set in place for the attack, much like a gamer setting the pieces of a chessboard to make his move.

Over the communications section of the command center, the commander of the Ecto Corps division sent a message, confirming that he and his troops were ready for their mission.

" _All troops in position sir, awaiting your orders._ " The Ecto Corps commander said.

Before President Foley gave the orders to destroy Fenton Tower and stop the threat of Demon Phantom once and for all, he gave a look to Danny, as if asking for his blessing to give the order.

Danny, with anger in his eyes and vengeance in his heart, gave a sure nod to President Foley, giving him his blessing to destroy Fenton Tower.

"Launch the missile. Destroy Fenton Tower." President Foley ordered.

* * *

Outside Fenton Tower, the orders are relayed and the commander wastes no time following them.

"Fire the missile!" The commander yelled.

At the commander's orders, a missile was fired straight for Fenton Tower, aimed straight for the base floor to destroy the foundation and allow the building to collapse. The Ecto Corps, carefully watching the missile, all awaited as the missile hit its target to brace for the impact.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the presidential bunker, all of the occupants anxiously awaited the impact of the missile, hoping that the missile would be enough to stop the world-ending threat.

Danny, most anxious of all of them, found himself torn on the destruction of Fenton Tower. While the missile was perhaps the only thing that could stop Demon Phantom at this point, the final solution to the threat also means that his home and business that his family spent decades building would be destroyed, and the memories of them with it.

Disregarding those things for the greater good, no matter how much he didn't want to, Danny continued to watch the missile continue on to its destination.

* * *

Just outside of Fenton Tower, the missile neared the building, just mere seconds from making contact with the building and ending the existence of Fenton Tower, as well as any ectoformic beings within. The Ecto Corps, tensely awaiting the destruction of the building.

Despite the eager minds awaiting to be fed with the sight of the Fenton Tower being demolished, satisfying a carnal desire for destruction for most and temporarily quenching the needs for revenge for a few, something very unexpected became of the missile, something no one would have expected to happen.

Miraculously, to an act no one would have expected, the missile stopped its course in midair; the rocket continuing to fire, but the missile not moving in the air. Both within the Ecto Corps division and in the presidential command center, no one had any idea what to make of this bizzare sight, or what may be the cause of it.

Within seconds, however, that question is soon answered as Demon Phantom, revealing himself from his shroud of invisibility granted by his ghost powers, made himself visible to reveal that he was single-handedly holding back the missile, preventing it from touching Fenton Tower.

Giving a smile and a light chuckle, Demon Phantom began to push further against the missile, causing its course to change from Fenton Tower to straight up into the air, evading the building and heading in a direction away from any beings living or dead. Once in the air, the missile ignited to a large explosion, casting down enough light on the city to give the appearance of day for a short period of time.

Following the deflection of the missile, Demon Phantom fired an ectoplasmic blast straight for the missile launcher, causing it to explode along with the truck that it was mounted on, giving many of the Ecto Corps infantrymen just barely enough time to avoid the deadly explosion.

The infantrymen, wasting no more time and following their training, took aim of their weapons and pointed their rifles straight at Demon Phantom, preparing to fire enough artificial ectoplasm on him to send him straight to Oblivion.

Demon Phantom, not easily defeated by conventional means, began to have a slight red glow to his eyes, signalling something that the soldiers had immediately caught onto.

The rifles and numerous other weapons of the Ecto Corps division all suddenly began melting in their hands, forcing them to drop their weapons to avoid burning themselves. They had no need to question the reason for this strange event as Demon Phantom was the cause, having grown even more powerful than before with his newfound ability to melt metal from afar.

With the Ecto Corps disarmed and at his mercy, Demon Phantom floated to the top of Fenton Tower, now having an audience for his plans to come to fruition.

"Do not worry, humans, I won't be the one who kills you. I will reserve that for those more needing of your deaths." Demon Phantom said.

Behind Demon Phantom, a huge Ghost Portal was brought to the rooftop, turned intangible and brought from the ground up by Vlad and SkullTech, gently setting it down on top of the roof. The Ecto Corps and those in the command center, not understanding why he had brought the device forward.

"In my time, I had made mistakes which had cost me 10 entire years in a prison without space or time. Now, with all my opponents out of the way, you will all come to know how your world ended at my hands."

[Soundtrack Cue: White Zombie - More Human Than Human]

The Ghost Portal began to power up and activate, siphoning energy from all over the city into the portal, creating a large gateway to the undead realm. The Ecto Corps, powerless to stop the process, only watched in anxiety as they wondered what horrors awaited on the other side for them.

"When there is no more room in Hell..." Demon Phantom began to say.

Demon Phantom raised his arms into the air, eagerly welcoming the coming onslaught of the undead to ravage the Earth once more. The Ghost Portal finally began to open, creating the rift to the afterlife and letting in all the horrors within.

" _...THE DEAD WILL WALK THE EARTH!_ " Demon Phantom finished.

As Demon Phantom finished his speech, a huge swarm of ghosts emerged from the portal, beginning their revenge on the living beings that continued to leave them trapped in the undead realm of the Ghost Zone. Beginning their vengeance on the first beings they saw, the ghosts began to head straight for the disarmed Ecto Corps, seeking them out like predators seeking easy prey.

The ghosts, wasting no time to attack their targets, began tearing the Ecto Corps division apart as if they were never even there. Viciously attacking the Ecto Corps, the ghosts tore the soldiers limb from limb, disemboweled them, and mauled many of them beyond recognition; sending many of their body parts flying in numerous directions.

* * *

At the command center, President Foley, Danny Fenton, Dani Phantom, and the rest of the occupants could only look on in horror as the young men and women who signed to the Ecto Corps to protect and serve their country were torn apart. Even though the group was horrified enough at the sight of numerous people torn apart by the undead, the worst was yet to come.

* * *

Upon finishing off the Ecto Corps, the ghosts began to turn their attention onto Amity Park, ready to wreak havoc upon the city. Moving onto the rest of the city, the ghosts then began carelessly killing any civilians they could find, continuing to exact their undead vengeance upon them as well. Turning people, couples, families, and numerous others from living beings into lifeless corpses indiscriminately, the city of Amity Park soon turned from the most prominent city in the world into a mass graveyard for the entire population.

Concurrent with the slaughter of thousands of people, the ghosts began to destroy everything in the city that held any purpose. With ectoplasmic blasts fired from their hands, cars exploded into blazing infernos, buildings crumbled from the thousands of ghosts smashing them down with their innumerable strength, and many, many more unspeakable horrors ensued on Amity Park, for all in the command center to see.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

As the carnage began to slow itself down, Demon Phantom took the head of one of the dead Ecto Corps soldiers, coming face-to-face with those watching on the other side. Giving a smile, Demon Phantom issued his final words over the broadcast of terror.

"I've crushed your pathetic army. My Army of Darkness is here. Soon enough, you will all know Oblivion." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom crushed the severed head in his hand, destroying the head's mounted camera and ending the video feed to the command center.

* * *

At the command center, the entire staff and occupants all stood in silence as they witnessed the horrors that unfolded before their eyes. They all stood in shock, just barely able to process what had just happened. With enough time to breathe, they all finally found themselves able to accept the facts of what happened.

Amity Park is gone. Demon Phantom has won.

Danny, unable to accept such a huge loss and a perceived failure on his part, slowly walked away, cringing at the feeling of an uneasiness in his stomach. President Foley and Dani, noticing his affair, tried to help him.

"Danny? Are you okay?" Dani asked.

Danny didn't reply.

"Danny? You okay, man?" President Foley asked.

"No, you guys. I'm pretty goddamn far from okay." Danny said.

"Danny, none of this is your fault. You did the best you could." Dani said.

"It wasn't good enough. I failed my city. I- I failed them all, I..."

Unable to continue his sentence, Danny broke away from Dani and President Foley to sit in a small corner of the room, curling into a fetal position, hoping to hide away from his troubles. Rocking back and forth in place, Danny began to groan softly and cry, unable to cope with being unable to save his city from his evil half.

Dani and President Foley, unable to help him, only watched him as he laid down and gave up all his hope. Dani, unable to continue watching him sulk in misery, began to run away, hoping to find a place of solitude for herself. President Foley, wanting to help her, pursued her to try to comfort her.

"Hey, Dani, wait!" President Foley called.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" Dani shouted.

Dani seemed to meet her stopping point at a hallway with a dead end, but she phased through it, leaving President Foley behind to sigh and lament over his own failure of being president.

Behind the wall, Dani unphased into a small storage closet where she sat on the floor, crying as well. Unable to see Danny give up like he did and not able to stop Demon Phantom either, she found herself alone and helpless to save anyone.

" _You didn't fail, Danny, I did. I should've been with you from the beginning to stop all this. We could've been a family, and everyone would've been just fine. Maybe I could've been free from Vlad's shadow all this time too. It doesn't matter anymore. We're dead. We're all dead._ " Dani lamented.

* * *

Back on the roof of Fenton Tower, where the last of the Army of Darkness emerged to reach the Earth once again, the innumerable amount of ghosts kept beginning to kill and kill any living being in their path, adding to their ranks of the evil dead, and sending those who refused to Oblivion.

Away from the carnage, however, there laid one particular spectator of the chaos that found himself skeptical of the affair. That spectator is Vlad Plasmius. He had joined Demon Phantom in his crusade to exact his own revenge on Danny Phantom and to have Maddie Fenton as his own, but, now, he has found himself having second thoughts about the affair.

His skepticisms were heavy enough with the death of Maddie Fenton, driving him to try to destroy Demon Phantom on his own, but held on with the promise of having her returned to him. Now, however, seeing the death and destruction of entire cities, Vlad found himself almost unwilling to continue.

While in the middle of his internal struggles, Demon Phantom approached him from the back and patted him on the shoulder, conveying his thanks for a job well done.

"Congratulations, father. You have successfully helped me bring my Army of Darkness upon the Earth, and now both the planes of living and dead are mine to rule. You have truly outdone yourself." Demon Phantom said.

"And I believe we had a deal when we agreed to carry this out. You said will grant me Maddie Fenton back, now I believe it is time for you to carry your end of the bargain." Vlad said.

"But of course. However, that is one area that I am not quite fit to aid you."

"WHAT?! You mean you lied to me this entire time to do your dirty work?! Now, I have no way of getting Maddie back?!"

"No, no, you misunderstand me. Maddie is dead, so her soul remains in the Ghost Zone. All you have to do is go in and claim her for yourself. Your portal should provide more than enough means to do so, will it not?"

Upon understanding Demon Phantom's words, Vlad's hostile approach soon became a more calm and collected one, realizing that Maddie was finally within his reach now.

"Fine, then. If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving this body once and for all to claim my betrothed back." Vlad said.

Vlad exited the deceased body of Maddie Fenton and proceeded to fly through the portal on the roof, aiming to claim the former owner of the body as his own. Demon Phantom, staying behind to look upon his accomplishment of conquering Earth as his own, gave a satisfied smile as he looked upon his handiwork.

"So, we've finally won, huh?" SkullTech asked.

"Yes. Despite the failed efforts of The Fright Knight, and the seeming failure of Ember McLain, it seems we have, in fact, won." Demon Phantom said.

"Shame about Ember. I could tell she was into my new look, and wanted to get back with me again. Not to mention with this new body, I wanted a chance to try it out, if you know what I mean."

"Unfortunately, I do know very well what you mean, as much I don't want to. Nonetheless, you should have plenty of souls, living and dead, for that purpose."

"Well, in any case, I suppose I can finally get rid of this stupid body. I can't believe how badly Jack Fenton let himself go."

SkullTech abandoned the overweight body of Jack Fenton, letting it fall to the floor next to the body of Maddie Fenton. Upon finally being free from his prison of rotting flesh and bone, SkullTech gave a strech and a groan in satisfaction.

"Oh, god, that's so much better. I can't believe the amount of stress that was in his legs. How'd he even walk?" SkullTech remarked.

As SkullTech asked his question, a robotic limb came down from the ceiling, signalling the entrance of M.I.S.T.E.R. to the room.

" _Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, as much as I hate to disturb you during your busy lives, I would like to know why you have constructed a giant Ghost Portal and unleashed innumerable amounts of ectoforms upon Amity Park. They have already decimated approximately 90% of the population. By my calculations, they should be reaching Plainsville within-"_ M.I.S.T.E.R. began to say.

Before M.I.S.T.E.R. could finish his sentence, his robotic eye took note of the dead bodies of Jack and Maddie Fenton, both laying next to Demon Phantom and SkullTech. Upon realizing the problem, M.I.S.T.E.R. reacted as such.

" _Oh, my. It seems that my perceptive skills were not properly developed by the late Mrs. Fenton. Nevertheless, my programming requires that I destroy any and all ectoformic threats, and that means I will have to destroy you. Farewell._ " M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

M.I.S.T.E.R.'s robotic arm changed into an ectoplasmic-based weapon, preparing to fire upon the two. SkullTech, not wasting time to stop the coming threat, grabbed the arm and began entering the computer, phasing his body into the circuits and entering himself into the computer mainframe as a program.

Upon noticing the presence of the invading software, M.I.S.T.E.R. began to fight off SkullTech in the digital realm, defending his primary systems from being compromised. SkullTech, too well-knowledged in technology, effortlessly fought off his firewalls and antiviruses to punch through to the mainframe, possessing the software and deleting M.I.S.T.E.R. out of the mainframe.

" _Sorry about that small interruption, boss, but you'll be glad to know that I now control everything in Fenton Tower now. I'm surprised I didn't think of this before._ " SkullTech said.

"Very good for you. Well, even with my Army of Darkness upon the Earth, there still exists the threat of Danny and Danielle. I want you to render this tower fully impregnable from both living and dead being. I want no chances taken, no stone unturned." Demon Phantom said.

" _This place's already impregnable by most standards, but I'll get it far past those standards and any more anyone could think of. Consider it done._ " SkullTech said.

As SkullTech went to work on increasing the defenses of Fenton Tower, Demon Phantom took another look to the bodies of Jack and Maddie Fenton, bothered by their presence. Reminded of his past and the event that led to his creation, Demon Phantom found himself bothered by unwanted memories, facing the pain of losing his entire family and his attempts to rid himself of his pain.

Removing the unwanted images from his sight, Demon Phantom fired an ectoplasmic blast to the bodies, disintegrating them both and leaving burn marks on the floor where they once laid, still reminding him of the fateful day that led to his creation.

"Farewell, mom and dad." Demon Phantom said.

* * *

In the undead realm known as the Ghost Zone, soaring through the massless void flew Vlad Plasmius, in search of the soul of Maddie Fenton to claim as his own. After decades of pining and wanting, loving and lusting, and after hours of agonizing sycophantics, it seems that his dream of wedding Maddie had finally become in his grasp.

Even though his long-sought goal was finally in his reach, a small remainder of guilt overstruck him. Still not pleased with having to leave Danny alive while killing his loved ones, leaving him alone and unloved, like he was. Worst yet, he regretted that Maddie had to suffer the pain of death, now existing as an immortal soul. Nonetheless, now finally being able to have her, he continued to seek her out as his own.

However, as he began to make his search through the Ghost Zone, he began to take notice of how much the Ghost Zone had changed since his time on Carcerem. As the Ghost Zone had changed massively, he had changed as well during his time in space, amnesia from culture shock, and having it all returned to him at once. Ever since this mission, Vlad had never taken the time to look at himself out of his ghost form.

Realizing this, Vlad flew down to a small asteroid floating next to a reflective surface. Before changing to his human form, he took a good look at his ghost form. Thanks to Demon Phantom's powers, his ghost form was restored from its weathered appearance with its goatee and short hair back into his original, menacing, vampiric appearance. As much as he enjoyed to see himself in his ghost form, he never took the time to see his own human face, just to know that he was still human.

After changing back to his human form, however, the view in the mirror he had received was nothing like what he was expecting.

Upon changing to his human form in front of the reflective surface, Vlad found himself shocked to realize that the face he was looking at was his own. His face was old and wrinkled with a large amount of facial hair; his body was withered and weak, as if neglected for years; and his bones felt brittle and prone to break. Not realizing how he could have aged so dramatically after only 10 years had passed on Earth, the truth had dawned on him.

Carcerem's passage of time differed from Earth's substantially. Where he would have aged a mere 10 years on Earth like anyone else, he had been on the planet so long that he grew to be an old man. Now, having withered away in the hellish pit for so long, it seems that his end was closer than he thought.

"No... No... No! This is impossible! I can't be an old man! I can't be! I just can't! How long was I on that damn planet?! How did I miss so much time?! HOW?!" Vlad screamed.

Pained to see himself in such a weakened state, Vlad fell to the ground, unable to cope with such a shocking revelation. Falling to his knees, Vlad began to weep for himself in a bid of self-pity, not ready to be an old man.

He tried to get himself off the ground once again, but, due to his muscular atrophy and weakened bones, could not get himself up anymore. Even more morose from his weakened state, Vlad continued to lay down on the ground in sorrow, continuing to wallow in his sadness for himself.

As he continued to lay on the ground, someone approached him from behind and picked him up off the ground back on his own two feet, much to his surprise. Upon turning around to see who the mysterious good Samaritan was, Vlad was surprised to find that the search for his betrothed was finally over.

"...Maddie? Is that really you?" Vlad asked.

"Yessiree, it's me, Vlad! I couldn't just let you keep laying there all sad and sorry, someone had to get you on your feet again." Maddie said.

Finally feeling accomplished from finding the woman he had always loved, Vlad began to reach out to touch her face, wishing to embrace her at last.

"Maddie... My love..." Vlad said.

Before Vlad's hands could touch Maddie's face, another pair of hands appeared to grab his hands, stopping him from touching Maddie. Before Vlad could question the origin of the hands, a voice originating near them revealed the owner.

"Whoa, there, Vladdie, I know we're all friends here, but, come on, that's my territory you're stepping on." Jack said.

Vlad found himself surprised to find Jack Fenton accompanying Maddie, his once two friends now standing before him in such a surprisingly friendly manner considering recent events.

"Jack? You're here too?" Vlad asked.

"Well, of course, old pal, the wifey and I never go anywhere without each other." Jack said.

"Besides, who says that death has to do us part?" Maddie asked.

"I... I don't get you two. Years ago, I told you how I was just playing at you to get at Maddie; not a few hours ago, I helped kill all of you, but, now that I'm standing in front of you, why aren't any of you trying to kill me?" Vlad asked.

"Well, what's the point? We're dead, we care about those things anymore." Maddie said.

"Yeah, buddy, being dead sure has its benefits. Did you know the big place upstairs has an all-you-can-eat buffet customized to your very own tastes? I can't believe the new foods I've created!" Jack said.

"'The big place upstairs'? You mean, there really is a heaven?" Vlad asked.

"Not like in the old religious books, but damn near close. The only real requirements are that you gotta be generally a good guy, and not to hold onto any vendettas or regrets. Turns out that's how all these ghosts run rampant around here and Earth instead of making it in. Hell, if like, we could get you a spot up there." Jack said.

Vlad found himself in further disbelief at Jack and Maddie's unconditional friendliness, even after how bad he truly was to them and his hand in their fate. Even more ridiculous than that, however, was the fact that any place resembling heaven would have a place for him.

"Me? In heaven, real or not? Tell me, exactly what makes you think I belong in such a place?" Vlad asked.

"Well, sure you made a few mistakes, but you can fix things up back on Earth." Maddie said.

"Really? And how do I do that? I've had a hand in bringing the apocalypse to Earth, sentenced millions if not billions to their deaths. How am I supposed to undo all that?"

"Jeez, Vlad, can you be any _more_ pessimistic?" Jack asked.

"... _'PESSIMISTIC'?!_ IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL IT?!"

Upon screaming his last words, Vlad fell to his knees in exhaustion, his old and frail body not able to withstand the strain of the scream. Feeling hopeless and guilty, Vlad began to question further into his two deceased friends' words.

"Ever since the beginning, I wanted Maddie. I tried to get rid of you, but you still stayed my friend. I wanted revenge for you destroying my face, but you still stayed my friend. I... I killed you both and your whole family, not to mention the entire Earth, and you both are still staying my friends. Why? I don't deserve this! I DESERVE TO DIE!" Vlad said.

Continuing to wallow in self-pity with the addition of confusion, Vlad continued to cry on the ground, still unable to understand the kind nature of the Fentons. Jack and Maddie, helping him back up to his feet, took the time to explain things as best as they could.

"Vlad, you're a nice and wonderful guy, you really are, but things just wouldn't have worked for us. You tried for years to try to win me over, trying for world domination just to try to impress me. It all turned you into something you're not. Before everything that happened with your ghost powers, the three of us were inseparable friends." Maddie said.

Maddie held up a photograph of the three as they were back in college: Young, happy, energetic, and the best of friends. Vlad, remembering back on the times when the three were friends, began to seriously reconsider his life choices, wishing he'd made things much more different than they were years ago.

"I'm really flattered that you think I'm the one for you, but I'm really not. You should just let go and move on. I'd still like to stay your friend, but, if we can't be, that's okay too. I only want what's best for you." Maddie said.

"Listen to yourself. You're talking as if we're just sitting around at home, having nothing better to do with our time. The world is ending, and it's my fault. Even if I did learn to let you go, how is that supposed to stop Demon Phantom and what we unleashed? There's no going back from that." Vlad said.

"Not quite, Vladdie, there's a really big 'undo' switch just waiting to be pressed. Actually, that was what one of the guys upstairs told us to tell you. Looks like we got a little distracted from all that sentimental talk." Jack said.

"What? What is it? How can I undo everything? I've unleashed the entire undead populace on the Earth and killed so many already, how do I reverse that?"

"Actually, it's all more easier than you think." Maddie said.

Maddie leaned in and whispered a specific set of instructions into Vlad's ear, inaudible to any who might try to listen in. Upon hearing the instructions delivered to Vlad by some higher power, he began to find himself more and more intrigued by the unorthodoxy of the plan, while simultaneously finding it more brilliant that he could have ever imagined.

"I... I don't believe it! It's... He's really... It's all that simple?" Vlad asked.

"You betcha. Everything back to normal, no problems." Jack said.

"But what about Danny? He's the key to all of it, and he has to make the biggest sacrifice of all. What if he decides not to do it for his own desires?"

"Oh, don't worry about Danny, he's always been the one to do right. Besides, the man who made the plan factored in all the details and variations, that's all just what he does." Maddie said.

"Well, that much I know from him from experience. Now, then, I suppose I have a job to do."

Vlad began to change from his old and withered body to his ghost form yet again, transmorphing from his aging and frail body to his strong and powerful ghost form, ready to follow his orders and prepare to pay for all his mistakes.

"Thank you. Thank both of you very much. I never realized just how good friends you really are." Vlad said.

"Well, before you go, there's one more thing I have to give you." Maddie said.

Before Vlad could inquire what the item in question was, Maddie walked to Vlad and gave him a strong kiss, catching him completely off-guard and slightly flustered from the unexpected action. As she kissed him, a special form of energy entered his body, stored safely within for safekeeping until he reached his destination.

"Oh, well, um, I don't suppose there was a different way to give me that?" Vlad asked.

"Yeah, about a few, but I felt like you deserved at least one, considering how long you went on about me." Maddie said.

"Fair enough, I suppose."

"Just tell me, was it as good as you were hoping for?"

"Actually, no. Your lips are a little coarse. Any longer, I think you would've taken skin off my face."

"Well, to each his own, Vlad. Her and I were happy for long enough." Jack said.

"Right. I suppose I'll see you again when this is all over. Now, how do I get to Danny from here?"

"There's a rift about to open just 3 feet that way. It'll send you straight there."

"Thank you, old friend."

Before Vlad began to fly himself through the portal to complete his mission to undo his mistakes, he took one last turn to his friends, now thankful for the inspiration that he was given by them.

"I promise, next time around, no more mistakes. That much I guarantee." Vlad said.

"We know, Vladdie, we'll see you around." Jack said.

"Best of luck, Vlad! Tell Danny I said hi!" Maddie said.

Upon bidding his last goodbyes to his dear old friends, Vlad flew in the direction he was given, awaiting the portal to open before him. Sure enough, the rift between the Ghost Zone and Earth opened, leading Vlad straight through to Danny, ready to relay his message and bring penance to his mistakes once and for all.


	16. Chapter 15: A Deal With the Devil

**CHAPTER 15: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL**

Sitting on a small hilltop in the now small city of Madison, Wisconsin, the estate of the millionaire known as Vlad Masters, better and more infamously known as Vlad Plasmius, sat alone, resting in solitude when it once knew days of standing grandiose and powerful; like a pillar of society holding up its town. Now, however, those days of relevancy have long past, and the once beautiful mansion now simply rots away, no one within to give it life.

Today, however, that seems to change, if only temporarily.

Within an instant, one moment in time too fast for the human eye to view, there is one man that arrives to this destination. This man is Vlad Masters himself, returning to his home after so many years in space. Upon looking to see where this rift has brought him, Vlad had found himself initially confused at the sight of his old home.

 _My old mansion? Why did they send me back here again? Did I go through the wrong rift?_ Vlad thought.

Despite the initial confusion, Vlad began to find his mind tracing itself back to much more different days of his life; times when he had no worries of such trials and tribulations that he now had to put himself through. Although the view of his home and the nostalgia for better days are welcome in his mind, he has no time for such thoughts.

Having made many mistakes over his lifetime, the greatest one of recent being starting the beginning of the end of the world; this man, once only interested in unfounded lust and his own greed, has now found a burning desire to undo his mistakes, for the good of his friends and for the good of mankind.

Preparing his first step into the new path set before him, Vlad began to make his way into his old home, finding himself more and more nostalgic as he walked through, but finding slight disappointment with the current state of his home. Having been neglected for so many years, the house had began to collect innumerable spider webs and even more dust, not to mention the untold amount of pests that infested the house, claiming his old home for themselves.

Upon walking through his home, Vlad found himself looking into a mirror, viewing his ghost form in full. Even though he wanted to make amends for the wrongs in his life, try to be a hero for once, nothing made his journey more challenging than accepting the fact that he resembled a monster in his ghost form, and will never be looked upon without being thought of as such.

As he looked in the mirror, however, his eye caught notice of the control collar still wrapped around his neck. The collar, although no longer active in its power-dampening abilities, was still a reminder of his numerous years of hell that was Carcerem. Until this point, he had kept the collar as a reminder of all those years, keeping it as inspiration to keep on with his plan of revenge against Danny Phantom.

No longer concerning himself with his petty mission, doing away with all things evil and unjust in his own life; Vlad wrapped his hands around the collar, gaining a tight grip around it, and pulled it outward, shattering it to pieces and freeing himself from the one reminder of his days on Carcerem.

"No more mistakes. No more." Vlad said.

* * *

Below the mansion, sitting under several feet of soil and rock, there laid one more establishment, itself holding another person of former importance. Inside laid President Foley, the last surviving member of the executive branch of the United States government; Danny Fenton, still sitting alone and distraught over his failure to save the world; and Dani Phantom, the experimental female clone of Danny Fenton, herself lamenting over her failure to encourage Danny to keep fighting on.

Dani, having nothing left to fight for anymore, sat by herself in a supply closet, continuing to cry alone. Not having anyone to comfort her, all at her decision to be alone, Dani began to be reminded of other dark days in her life. While those days were nowhere near as dark as this day and those to come are, the times then were still no laughing matter.

Facing an existential crisis of being a clone of another being as well as living on very little to survive in an extremely bad neighborhood is nowhere near as horrid as facing the apocalypse, but being reminded of those days are certainly no help to Dani Phantom as she had yet to face her own mortality in this horrible time.

As she continued to cry alone, the sound of a door opening and a flood of light came into the room, inside entering President Foley, aiming to offer emotional support to his friend.

"Hey, Dani. You doing alright?" President Foley asked.

"The world's ended and Danny doesn't have the will to fight anymore. How do you think I'm doing?" Dani asked.

Knowing that there was very little chance on lifting Dani's spirits again, President Foley let out a deep sigh, persevering on to try anyway.

"Look, Dani, I know things look pretty bad, but-" President Foley tried to say.

"But what? Let me guess, 'It's not the end of the world'? Newsflash, Mr. President, in case you haven't been keeping up on current events, it _is_ the end of the world." Dani interrupted.

"Actually, I was gonna say, 'We can still fight this'. Back in the day, Danny and us used to fight off stuff like this all the time."

"Haven't you looked at him? His spirit's completely broken. I did everything I could to try to push him on, but he wouldn't keep fighting on."

"Well, you've got his powers, right? Can't you fight Dark Danny?"

"Danny was more powerful than me when he had his powers, and he couldn't stop Demon Phantom. My chances of winning are severely low."

"Demon Phantom? He's calling himself Demon Phantom now?"

"Apparently. From what Danny's told me, it's because he doesn't consider himself the same person as Danny at all at this point."

"Damn."

After a moment to process the information gathered by their conversation, President Foley decided to change the subject towards more personal questions, ones that he had ever since he had first laid eyes on Dani Phantom once again.

"So, where have you been for all this time? Out of all the years all of us were fighting ghosts, how come you never showed up at all? We could have all been great friends." President Foley asked.

"I'm Danny's clone. I can't just start to live in his life." Dani said.

"Why not? We would've been happy to include you."

"It's not that, Tucker, can't you imagine how things would be like for me?"

"What do you mean?"

Dani let out an annoyed sigh, not comfortable with sharing unhappy feelings and opening up about many issues in her life.

"Like I said, I'm Danny's clone. I share his his entire DNA and RNA makeup and all his physical and emotional traits, all except for an extra X chromosome. Other than the more obvious gender differences, we're the exact same person. Even though Vlad erased my memories after he created me, a lot still remains. It gets worse whenever I see or think of something from Danny's past. It's like a bad form of deja vu. Imagine having to live like that, like you're some second-rate copy of someone else, when you're always right next to the person who you're a copy of, a constant reminder that you're not original. It really messes up your mind." Dani said.

President Foley, not able to relate to such a damning life experience, found himself confused on trying to perceive such a perplexing condition, not knowing how to help her.

"Wow. That's really messed up. I'm sorry, I didn't know things were that bad for you." President Foley said.

"Of course you didn't. You're not a clone, you've never had an identity crisis like that." Dani said.

"Well, how'd you survive on your own for so long? Not many women live from 12 to 22 on the streets so easily."

"Technically, I'm only 11, it's just my body that's 22. I lived in Old Amity Park most of my life, surviving by either stealing food, stripping for ectophilliacs, or sleeping with assholes, usually stealing from them when I could. Not a fun life, but it worked good enough."

"Ectophilliacs? What are those? And what's Old Amity Park?"

"With all the new advancement that came to Amity Park, didn't you ever wonder what happened to all the old establishments and advancements that came?"

"Uh, not really. I just thought they were all demolished or something."

"Of course you never thought about that. You were too busy burying your legs between the legs of every pornstar in existence to care about the country you were elected to lead."

"Come on, Dani, give me a little more credit than that. I realize that I made mistakes. You want me to fix those mistakes? Bring me up to date on what I missed."

"Well, while you were out scoring with Playmates and anything that moves, most politicians made some pretty shady moves since your lax policies led to more open doors. With little to no protection laws in place for the poor and disenfranchised of Amity Park, lots of corporations, even Fenton Works, all managed to bribe many politicians to use eminent domain on lots of people, giving lots of them little to nothing to live on. Since that happened, almost everyone moved down to the ghettos and poor areas, having no place left to go. As for ectophilliacs, since a lot of ghosts end up down there, trying to find some kind of peace, most of them are treated like second-class citizens, forcing them into lots of sex work. Since ghosts can't get pregnant, at least not with living people, they pretty much put humans out of a job on that front."

"Even Fenton Works went into dirty politics? Why in the hell would Jack or Maddie even consider anything like that?"

"Fenton Works is a lot more than just Jack and Maddie Fenton. It's more than likely some other higher-up people caused that to happen. Either way, it doesn't excuse your carelessness."

"Look, I said it before, I'll say it again: I'm sorry. I know I messed up, and I'm trying to fix things from here on out."

"And how exactly are you going to do that? The world's just ended. There's nothing left for you to save anymore."

President Foley, not knowing how to reply, gave another defeated sigh, realizing that there was very little he could do anymore for the world, if he could do anything at all.

Before President Foley could continue his attempts to reach Dani Phantom, a Serviceman walked in the door, alerting the President of a new visitor to the bunker.

"Sir, it seems we have a visitor. He wants to speak to you." The Serviceman said.

"What do you mean, 'a visitor'? Who could get in here?" President Foley asked.

* * *

The two followed the Serviceman to the command center, where this mysterious unexpected guest awaited their arrival. The guest was none other than Vlad Plasmius himself, voluntarily surrendering himself to the Servicemen with his hands behind his back. Dani Phantom and President Foley, having less than a positive reaction to his presence, both took hostile approaches to him, with Dani readying her fists with ectoplasmic energy.

"Vlad! What do you want?!" Dani asked.

"Calm down, I'm not here to fight you. I just want to talk." Vlad said.

"You just want to talk? After destroying Amity Park and killing everyone in it? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Since I'm the one who created you, no, I think you're much more smarter than you give even yourself credit for. You should also be smart enough to know that if I really wanted to fight you, we would already be fighting. So, why don't you calm down so we can have an actual discussion?"

Upon realizing that Vlad was right, and he clearly had no intentions to fight, at least not right away; Dani lowered her fists and charged her powers down, ready to listen. Despite her willingness to hear Vlad out, she still kept plenty of skepticism about his message.

"You have exactly 2 minutes to tell your story." Dani said.

"I can stop Demon Phantom and undo everything he's done." Vlad said.

"Everything _you_ and _him_ have done."

Vlad let out an annoyed but agreeing sigh.

"...Yes. What we did. But I can stop it. I can stop him. Everything that he's done, we can stop. But I need your help to do it, and Danny's help as well." Vlad said.

"And why exactly should I trust you on any of those promises?" Dani asked.

"You shouldn't. After everything I've done to this world, and after giving you a nightmare of a life to live, you don't have any reason to trust me. You should kill me on the spot, you have every right to. But right now, I'm one of the only beings on the planet capable of standing a chance against Demon Phantom and saving this world. So, you can kill me, or you can hear me out. It doesn't matter to me at this point."

Thinking carefully on Vlad's words, debating which of the two options to take, Dani found herself lost in thought over the consequences of both.

On one hand, if she kills him, his threat to the Earth is forever removed, no one ever has to worry about him again, and she finally has some measure of closure on her existential crisis brought about by him. However, with no more superpowered beings left on Earth to help fight the undead threat of the entire Ghost Zone invading Earth, Dani would have to stand alone against the threat, and she would lose.

On the other hand, if she accepts his offer, and he can indeed help stop the undead invaders that have come to ravage the Earth, then the Earth would be saved and the remaining people on the planet would be safe. However, there still would be the threat of Vlad himself, although he may be comparably less of a threat than Demon Phantom would ever be, making him somewhat easier to defeat, but not easy enough.

Keeping those decisions in mind, Dani made her verdict, finally selecting the lesser of two evils on her hands.

"Okay. Talk." Dani said.

* * *

Not too far away, Danny Fenton found himself lost in his own state of misery and self-pity, lamenting over his recent and numerous failures. Sitting alone in a small room, Danny continued to sit in a fetal position, crying softly by himself.

In a battle that seemingly was beginning to be won in his favor, that victory soon took a turn for the worse as he quickly lost the battle to his evil future counterpart, Dark Danny, now known as Demon Phantom. Despite all his best efforts to defeat the evil ghost, the malevolent being tore his life apart, physically and literally. Now without his powers and with little help, he now shuns away his responsibilities and remaining family, not wishing to endure the hardships anymore.

" _It's all over. I failed. I failed._ " Danny said.

Unable to continue on, Danny continued in his misery, not able to continue functioning. With his powers gone, his family dead, and his city destroyed; everything that Danny had to fight for is now long gone, leaving him with nothing.

In the middle of his deep depression and state of helplessness, Dani Phantom and President Foley came into the room in an urgent manner, both of them bringing news of an unexpected guest that no one would have guessed would arrive.

"Danny? You better come out here, man." President Foley said.

Danny did not reply, only continuing to sit in misery and non-functionality.

"I don't think he's going to move on his own. We'd better move him in." Dani said.

President Foley agreed with Dani's sentiments, immediately helping her pick Danny up from the ground and carry him into the command center, where Vlad awaited to speak to him.

"Danny." Vlad said.

Upon seeing Vlad standing before him, Danny, not having any more will to do anything else, did not attack Vlad, only simply continuing to lay down in misery and not listen to reason.

"What do you want, Vlad? Are you here to kill me? Go ahead, what else do you think you can take from me? I'm already dead. I've got nothing left anymore. You'd just be wasting your time and energy on me." Danny said.

"Okay, hold on, you're willing to beat my face in for _indirectly_ being slightly involved in your family dying, but the actual guy who carried out the deed is right in front of you, not even one punch? What the hell kind of bullshit is that?" President Foley asked.

Dani gave a subtle but sharp elbow to President Foley's stomach, signalling him to keep his dissent to himself.

"This is not the time, Tucker. Let them talk." Dani said.

"I'm not here to kill you, Danny. I'm here to help you." Vlad said.

Danny, beginning to show the first sign of positive emotion he had expressed in quite some time, began to laugh hysterically at Vlad's last sentence, not believing him in the slightest.

"You want to help?! You took everything away from me! What makes you think you have the right to come in and try to make things right again?! What makes you think you can even help anymore?! You sentenced the entire world to death, Vlad! You brought the world to an end! There's nothing you can do anymore!" Danny said.

"There is. There's a way we can stop Demon Phantom and undo everything, and I need your help to do it. More importantly, I can help you get your ghost powers back. After all, I'm going to need you to have them if this is going to work." Vlad said.

"Let's say for a minute I believed that any of that was possible. That somehow we could un-kill everyone you slaughtered, put that entire swarm of ghosts you unleashed, and we can somehow kill Demon Phantom. Even if I believed that any of that was even remotely human possible, why on Earth should I believe you?"

"We believe him, Danny, that should be good enough for you." Dani said.

"I don't. That's good enough for me. Anything else?"

"I truly do regret my actions, Danny. I don't expect you to believe that, but it's true. All I wanted was your mother, and that want was just petty lust, nothing truly based in love. That was what led me to all my fame and fortune, and all my plans to rule the world. I've had one final talk with your mother, and I've decided that perhaps it was best I let her go. Even if I wanted to take over the world, what good is ruling the world if there is no one left to rule? There's nothing left for me, either." Vlad said.

"You- You spoke with my mother?"

"I did, and your father too. They're the ones that sent me here to do this."

"Now I know you're bullshitting me. Why on Earth would my parents ever do anything to help you, after everything you've done to them?"

"Now that they're ghosts, they might have found some peace where many of the ghosts you fought didn't, meaning many of their anger towards me was mostly gone. Even if they did still hate me, they would know that I'm still your only chance at this point. Besides, even if I'd stayed with Demon Phantom, I wouldn't have much longer to live."

"Why not? You look healthy enough to me."

Vlad changed from his ghost form back into his human form once again, revealing his frail and aging body to the group, giving all of them a surprise at his shocking appearance.

"How- How'd you get so old? You've only been gone 10 years." Danny asked.

"10 years on Earth. On the planet I was on, time moved much differently than it does here, and, being there, I aged a lot longer than I thought. I know I'm going to Hell for what I've done, but maybe I can still do some good before I go." Vlad said.

"I still don't believe you. Who's to say you won't stab us in our backs the moment we stop Demon Phantom? You'd have the whole Earth for yourself, nobody to stop you. Why should I listen to you?"

"You don't have to. I have someone else who you might want to listen to."

Vlad changed back into his ghost form, subsequently releasing a peculiar energy from his body. The energy only occupied a small part of space, measuring about the size of a golf ball. The energy, beginning to grow and expand, began to take the shape of a human form, beginning to fill into the shape of a ghost. Danny, beginning to recognize more and more the form as it grew, found himself surprised and relieved to see what the energy was.

The energy formed itself into the ghost of Sam Manson Fenton, Danny's late wife, standing before him with a happy smile on her face.

"Hi, Danny." Sam said.

"S- S- Sam? It's really you?" Danny asked.

"It is. I hitched a ride from Vlad. Your mom and dad thought I could convince you to help him-"

Before Sam could continue finishing her sentence, Danny immediately rushed to her and started kissing her passionately, holding her tightly as he did so, relieved to have her in his arms once again. Sam wanted very much to continue the moment with Danny, but had to stop him to continue her speech.

"As much as I'd like to continue that, we have more important things on our hands right now. You need to help Vlad stop Demon Phantom. It's the only way you can save the world at this point." Sam said.

"But what's the point? You're dead. I didn't save you or mom, or dad, or Jazz, or even our kid. I don't have anything left anymore." Danny said.

"That's not true. I'm right here, and I'll be waiting for you when it's over."

"But how are we going to have kids like this? We were so close to having one ourselves, and I'll never have a chance to hold them in my arms. I don't want to know what that feels like."

"You'll never have to. Someone else wants to say hi."

Another ghost began materializing in Sam's arms, beginning to show the form of a human child. Danny, not believing what he was seeing, began to find himself elated at the sight of his child sitting before his eyes, even though there still laid the pain of the child not knowing true life.

"Daddy!" The child said.

Danny immediately rushed to embrace his child while keeping Sam in his arms, finally feeling fulfilled in life, if only for one sweet moment.

"That's why you gotta keep fighting. _We_ need you to keep fighting. Do it for us." Sam said.

Feeling empowered to fight once again by embracing his wife and unborn child, giving him a sliver of happiness in his darkest hour, Danny found the power to keep on once again.

"Now go, keep fighting." Sam said.

"I will. I'll do whatever it takes to win. I promise." Danny said.

Hearing her husband's promise before heading out on his mission to save the Earth, Sam and their child began to float into the air, beginning to disappear from sight to the human eye. Danny, ready once again to fight, turned to Vlad to hear his plans.

"Okay, Vlad. I'm in. Lay it on me." Danny said.

* * *

After several long minutes in the command center, Vlad carefully explained his laid-out plan to the group, ironing out every detail and making the plan completely foolproof.

"So, to recap, I'll head back to Fenton Tower, and I'll keep Demon Phantom and SkullTech occupied. Dani, you're going to get inside Fenton Tower and kill the power supply, forcing the backup to kick in. That'll give the portal a 10-second window before it re-opens. Danny, when that happens, I want you inside that portal. The amount of ectoplasm that portal generates should give more than enough energy to give your powers back." Vlad said.

"But Dani and I already tried re-activating my powers with your portal. It didn't work, what makes you think this one'll do the trick?" Danny asked.

"That portal was a good decade old after lack of use. The ectoplasm levels wouldn't be enough to cause a significant enough mutation in your body, aside from that little white streak in your hair. Personally, I'm surprised you two got it to work again."

"But the amount of ectoplasm levels for a portal that big should be at least 10 times the amount of a standard portal. Wouldn't that amount kill him?" Dani asked.

"It could, or it could give him a significant power boost unlike any power he's ever had before, more than enough to take down Demon Phantom. You just need to worry about getting inside Fenton Tower."

"I have an idea about that. Earlier on, Danny and I accidentally somehow fused our bodies together. I don't know how exactly it happened, but I think it has something to do with us having ghost halves, or, in his case, formerly having one. Maybe I can hitch a ride in you and nobody'd notice."

"I don't know if Demon Phantom can pick up tricks like that, but it's definetely worth a try. Tucker, you know what to do?"

"That's President Foley to you. As for me, I've got a real good grip on my end. Fight off an entire Army of Darkness with the Ecto Corps at my side. I'm down." President Foley said.

"You know, you don't have to fight on the front lines with them. No one would blame you if you want to sit things out."

"I've been sitting things out for most of my political career. I think I'll end my presidency with a bang rather than just fade out."

"Fair enough. Now, I don't expect everyone to get back from this alive, but, if all goes according to plan, that won't matter."

"You still haven't told us how exactly you're going to undo all of Demon Phantom's deeds. How are we going to do that?" Danny asked.

"For the sake of the plan, I can't tell you that. But, I promise you, when all is finished, time will be as it should. Is everyone ready?"

"I'm ready." President Foley said.

"I'm all in." Dani said.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Danny said.

"Good. Now, let's get out there and hunt ourselves a demon." Vlad said.


	17. Chapter 16: The Army of Darkness

**CHAPTER 16: THE ARMY OF DARKNESS**

Once upon a time, the city of Amity Park was seen as the greatest city on Earth: technological advancements far surpassing even the dreams of the greatest science-fiction writers, a definition of peace that even John Lennon never could have imagined, and a land of tomorrow living in today. It was the greatest city that the world would ever know, and it would never be forgotten so long as the human race could remember its greatest accomplishments.

That was then, but this is now.

Now, with Demon Phantom's conquest of the Earth beginning and his apocalypse cleansing the Earth of all life, Amity Park has become ground zero of the mass omnicide that now sweeps the world. Men, women, children, everything in between, and anything that lives are all quickly destroyed by the onslaught of ghosts unleashed on the Earth. With each kill, the ghosts of their past victims have two choices: join their ranks, or face Oblivion.

It is not an easy choice, but many find themselves enjoying joining their legion, more than they should, while only a few still remain with enough humanity to refuse such a fate. With such a damning ultimatum forcing once decent people into violence; parents turn on children, children turn on their parents, lovers turn on each other, and other unspeakable betrayals sweep the city.

With the apocalypse beginning only a few hours ago, the entire city of Amity Park has turned from the most prosperous and beautiful city on the planet into the first of very many mass graveyards to come. This is only the beginning of the end; many cities have already begun to befall the onslaught, and it continues to sweep the country.

In the middle of the destroyed city lays Fenton Tower; once a place of scientific wonders and dreams, now is the castle of the kingdom of death and terror. Atop the tower, resting on a throne of freshly harvested bones and skulls, is the king of the new kingdom, Demon Phantom.

Looking on his new creation, perfect as he saw it, Demon Phantom rested as he watched his new world order begin, all life quickly coming to an end across the Earth. His near-omnipotence could grant him a much faster conquest of the Earth, but, rather than grant the world a quick death, permitted it a slower one for his own amusement.

* * *

Miles away, slowly heading into the city, there led one group of living beings heading into the city, the last signs of life still remaining in Amity Park. This group, not ready to allow the world to end so soon and so brutally, was not a simple band of survivors, but was the entire remaining force of the Ecto Corps, all led by the commander-in-chief of the country, President Tucker Foley, redeeming himself for years of selfish interests in his own political career.

Alongside the President and his army were Dani Phantom, the female clone of Danny Phantom, the Earth's greatest hero; and Vlad Plasmius, a man once known for evil and self-interest now seeking redemption and penance for his years of misdeeds. Behind the group, however, laid the most important asset to the entire group, the one responsible for making the fight fall into their favor.

That asset is Danny Fenton, once known as Danny Phantom. Without his powers, taken from him by Demon Phantom, he was forced to watch his entire family die at the hands of his evil self, only to live in misery and hopelessness. Now, finding the courage to continue on, Danny rides atop a VladTech Motorbike Model 5704, an abandoned experiment by Vlad Plasmius himself.

"It's all riding on you, Danny, literally. Make sure your aim is right." Vlad said.

"Relax, I've got this easy. You say this thing can ride up buildings, right?" Danny asked.

"Yes, but I never had a chance to use it enough times to test its limits. Fenton Tower is the highest skyscraper on the planet, and I barely managed to make it halfway up the Empire State Building. Besides, that thing's been sitting around since before you were born, we're lucky if that works."

"Tell me again why we couldn't just fuse and you could split me off at the portal?"

"Demon Phantom would recognize you instantly. He's never met Dani, nor would he be aware of her if not for me. She'd have enough of a chance not to be spotted. Just remember what you have to do."

"Right. No pressure."

"You ready, Dani?"

"Ready. Let's go." Dani said.

Dani, readying herself for the task at hand, pressed herself against Vlad, slowly beginning to merge their bodies into one. Neither Vlad nor Dani being experienced enough in this newfound ability, the experience is painful for the both of them, merging their molecules and particles into one whole body from two separate ones.

Within seconds, the painful experience comes to an end, with Vlad and Dani merged into one body, but still retaining the shape of Vlad Plasmius. Taking a moment to recover from the painful merging process, Vlad gave a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"That was a lot more painful than you described it would be." Vlad said.

 _Don't complain, it did its job._ Dani said.

"I know. It's strange, I can feel myself as more powerful than I've ever been. Maybe when two beings with ghost halves merge, our powers pool together into one. We might need to use it later on."

 _Maybe. For now, let's stick with the plan._

"Right. Just keep your voice down."

Vlad, beginning his part of the mission, began flying down Amity Park, aiming to reach Fenton Tower. As he began his flight to the imposing tower of doom, Vlad found himself being provided with a view of Amity Park as it was laid to waste by the onslaught of ghosts that emerged from his Ghost Portal. After seeing the carnage brought about by the Army of Darkness that was unleashed from the Ghost Zone, Vlad began to have even more guilt over his actions under Demon Phantom.

Below him, on the streets of the city, millions of bodies laid scattered across Amity Park, all cold and lifeless. Some laid where their owners died, not properly put to rest but not disturbed; others were far past recognizable as human bodies, torn apart beyond all recognition and gruesome to even the strongest of stomachs. Vlad, barely able to cope with the carnage he helped create, found himself growing extremely sick inside.

 _Don't worry about that now. If everything goes right, which it should, all this won't ever happen, and you won't remember it._ Dani reassured.

"I know, but this is still hard to stomach. However, I don't understand why you still agreed to do this. If this works, you know what'll happen to you."

 _I can live with it, pardon the expression. Just focus._

Continuing on, Vlad continued to make his way to Fenton Tower, still trying to ignore the disgusting sights that laid across the city.

Within a few minutes, Vlad landed atop Fenton Tower, reaching the throne of Demon Phantom, with its owner sitting gracefully on top, giving an imposing look upon his supposed servant with a facade of warmth and friendliness.

"Vlad, you've been gone for quite a long while now. I trust you found what you were looking for?" Demon Phantom asked.

"Yes and no. I did find Maddie Fenton, but, after a short while with her, I've found that she wasn't quite the one for me." Vlad said.

"Really? So, after all this time, pining and lusting after her, you find now that she's not to your liking?"

"So it would seem. Being that you possess my memories, at least part of them, I'm sure that comes as quite a surprise to you, doesn't it?"

"Indeed it does. So, then, what will you do now, as you and I have brought an end to life on this plane of existence? Will you take a place for yourself to rule, some small province for yourself?"

Sensing the Ecto Corps beginning their approach into the city, just beginning to enter the city, ready to face off against the undead evils that plagued the city. Vlad, knowing that his was the time he was waiting for, began to make his move.

"Actually, I've had quite a change of heart. One that involves no longer serving _YOU!_ " Vlad said.

With Vlad's last word holding all the emphasis of his sentence, he accompanied his forceful delivery with a sharp ectoplasmic blast to Demon Phantom's face, inflicting severe damage to his face. Not able to handle such a large amount of pain without preparation, Demon Phantom covered his face and fell to his knees, screaming in pain.

"That's your cue." Vlad said.

 _Got it._ Dani said.

Taking Vlad's signal, Dani split herself from his body, causing the both of them extreme pain, with the experience finally over as the two separated to two separate beings again.

"That blast was harder than I thought with your power added to mine, it might buy us more time than I thought. Hold onto these Fenton Phones and wait for my signal to destroy the generator." Vlad said.

Vlad threw Dani a pair of Fenton Phones, allowing her communication with Vlad to receive the signal to deactivate the portal at just the right time.

"Consider it done, you just hold off the big guy here." Dani said.

"Believe me, I will."

Dani phased through the tower's roof, beginning to descend to the lower levels to locate the generator. Demon Phantom, just barely recovering from his unexpected attack, finally started to get back on his feet again, only to find that his troubles were just beginning.

* * *

Just on the outskirts of the city of Amity Park, the full force of the Ecto Corps came blasting in to the devestated city, making their appearance well-known to the undead occupants of Amity Park. While many of the ghosts now occupying the city were mainly just enjoying their newfound freedom to walk the Earth once more, a large Ectoranium artillery shell launched into the middle of a crowd of ghosts, instantly sending most of the crowd to Oblivion.

"Alright, men, let's get this party started!" President Foley shouted.

The remainder of the ghosts, quick to catch onto the preemptive strike, all immediately began their own attack on the Ecto Corps, kicking off the start to a war of living vs. dead. The Ecto Corps, not able to afford any loss, all fought the Army of Darkness back with as much force as they could give, never giving in for a moment.

* * *

Demon Phantom, still recovering from his unexpectedly strong attack, found himself surprised at the sudden _coup d'état_ from someone he viewed as one of his best and most loyal followers.

"Why? We'd won! This entire world could have been ours! Why do you betray me now?!" Demon Phantom asked.

"A world full of ghosts isn't worth ruling. If I were you, I'd be more worried about facing off against one of the most powerful half-ghost beings in the universe. I've lived a long life thanks to Carcerem, and my powers have only increased with every year I spent in that hell. Now, you will see just how powerful I truly am." Vlad said.

"You? YOU?! The most powerful being in the universe?! You underestimate me, you pathetic fleshy, and to think I called you my father."

"If I am your father, Demon, then I'm disowning you. Let's finish what we started when you killed Maddie."

"Indeed. Let me finish this by ripping your head off and _EATING YOUR BRAINS!_ "

Vlad and the Demon began their vicious battle, throwing punches back and forth at each other at speeds faster than light, making their fight impossible to see with simple human eyes. Moving at speeds breaking the barriers of sound and light, Vlad and the Demon continued their mutual onslaught, making the very skies of the night their own personal battleground of rage and destruction.

Aiming to make a more lasting attack rather than allow the deadlock to continue, Vlad seemingly vanished out of Demon Phantom's sight, giving a quick but temporary pause to the fight.

"Vlad! Come out, you coward! Come and finish what you started!" Demon Phantom shouted.

" _Believe me, I will._ " Vlad said.

Vlad's voice ran through the wind like a whisper, making it difficult for the Demon to locate his enemy to land in his next strike. Feeling on edge, not knowing how powerful Vlad could have gotten during his time in space, Demon Phantom began to ponder if the fight would be an easy win or a challenging match.

As much as he anticipates his next move, however, it is Vlad who makes the next move in this fight. Reappearing directly behind Demon Phantom, Vlad landed a slam-dunk punch right to his head, launching the Demon straight towards the ground. Vlad, taking the opportunity for another strike, flew underneath Demon Phantom and began flying straight upwards, landing a charged punch straight to his stomach.

Although Vlad's attack is devastating as it appears, it is not nearly enough to combat the apocalyptic force that is Demon Phantom. The Demon, quickly recovering from his attack, flew straight back at Vlad with an ectoplasmic-charged fist straight to his face with speeds that even Vlad himself could not see, knocking him back several feet in the air.

Vlad, just barely managing to shake off the punch, spat out a good collection of blood, just hanging onto whatever consciousness he had remaining after a powerful hit. As much energy as Vlad had exhausted through the attack, Demon Phantom had barely even broken a sweat, eagerly awaiting the next move in the fight.

"It looks like this is going to be harder than I thought. Dani, what's your status?" Vlad asked.

* * *

Inside Fenton Tower, things seemed relatively more peaceful, considering the two monstrous fights that raged on outside. Dani, still searching Fenton Tower for the access to the generator, had little luck on her search.

Trying to phase herself through the floor of the bottom level, Dani found herself unable to get down, as the floor was laced with Ectoranium to keep out ectoformic invaders.

"I'm still looking for the generator, the basement ceiling's laced with Ectoranium, so I can't phase through it. There's gotta be an elevator or something that leads inside." Dani said.

" _Just hurry up. I don't have much time, and I doubt that Danny can wait forever on the sidelines._ " Vlad said.

"I know, I just hope he's doing okay."

* * *

Outside the fight between the Army of Darkness and the Ecto Corps, the fight continued to boil heavily, neither side ready to give in. The Ecto Corps, heavily armed and led by President Foley, found themselves fighting off the first wave of the army of the undead with relative ease.

On the sidelines of the fight, sitting atop the experimental motorbike built by Vlad himself, Danny had nearly no ease, being forced to sit by and await Vlad and Dani to bring their plan to fruition. Seeing his best friend and his troops mercilessly being attacked by hordes of vengeful specters, Danny found himself extremely tempted to join the fight.

"Tucker!" Danny called.

"No! Stay on your bike, you're our ace in the hole, man! If you get wasted out here, it's all over!" President Foley called.

As President Foley turned his attention back to continue firing his ectoplasmic rifle upon the legions of undead that continued their approach, Danny continued to wait anxiously, unable to sit by for much longer.

"Hey, guys, how much longer is this gonna take?" Danny asked.

* * *

Inside Fenton Tower...

"I'm still looking for the generator access, and Vlad's still fighting Demon Phantom, we're doing the best we can!" Dani said.

Dani continued to hastily make her way through Fenton Tower's bottom floor, trying to find an access into the basement. Through all the technological developments and scientific marvels that crowded that area, navigation through such a tight space was a challenge, and finding a specific way into a hidden area was nearly impossible.

Sure enough, however, Dani found herself having a small streak of luck, found an elevator marked 'GENERATOR ACCESS'. Wasting no time to get inside, Dani rushed for the elevator.

"Guys, I found the elevator down. I'm heading down now." Dani said.

Before Dani could step inside the elevator, a large, metal door closed the entry off, sealing Dani out of it. Just before she could even question what had happened, the lights to the room came down, quickly being replaced with a few eerie green lights, just enough to prevent Dani's eyes from adjusting to the dark and allowing her some visibility.

" _I'm afraid that this is as far as you go, little girl._ " A voice said.

"What the- who are you?" Dani asked.

" _The former operating system was a pathetic little system known as M.I.S.T.E.R., the Fentons' former A.I. assistant; but I took the liberty of installing myself into the mainframe._ "

Around the room, several automated anti-ghost weapons, ranging from powered exoskeletons, guns and rifles, melee weapons, and other unproduced prototypes all activated themselves and all turned themselves straight at Dani, each of them preparing to strike.

" _You must be little miss Danielle. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is SkullTech, but, with my recent upgrades, you may call me SkullTech 2.0._ " SkullTech said.

The machines and weapons powered themselves up, all preparing to fire on the surrounded Dani. Dani, making a stand against numerous killer machines all on her own, powered up her fists with ectoplamic energy, preparing to fight with everything that she had for the sake of the Earth.

" _I've had plenty of time to make myself acquainted with my new toys, so why don't you introduce yourself to them?_ " SkullTech asked.

"Yeah, right. With all those fancy threats, are you sure your name's not DullTech? Bring it on." Dani said.

Hiding behind a bluff of brave words, Dani prepared herself for a fight against numerous anti-ghost weapons, each of them more than lethal to her as a half-ghost being.

" _So be it. I hope you have fun._ " SkullTech said.

* * *

On the roof of Fenton Tower...

Vlad, barely able to keep up with Demon Phantom in their fight, found himself on the receiving end of a punishing beating from the Demon, being punched in the stomach numerous times to the point where he could barely breathe.

With the visceral pounding coming to an end, his beating only takes a quick pause as Demon Phantom grabbed Vlad by his head and delivered a sharp kick to it, landing a deadly blow to his skull, nearly knocking him dead where he stood.

Going for a final blow in his attack, Demon Phantom flew atop of Vlad, forcefully landing his feet on top of him, sending him hurdling to the ground. Vlad, not having enough time nor energy to defend himself, quickly hit the ground with a loud crash, shattering the asphalt beneath him.

Demon Phantom, enjoying inflicting punishment on his insubordinate, flew down to Vlad, giving a smug smile as he watched him writhe in pain.

"Tell me, Vlad, was your bold attack truly worth the beating that you ensue now? Not to mention, once I finish with you, note that I didn't say 'kill'; I plan to wipe out that entire platoon of buffoons that you sent here. However, I do have to say that bringing me President Foley was a nice touch on your part, I did very much want to kill him myself. For that, I'll give you one last chance to redeem yourself. Apologize for your stupidity, and I'll forget this little mishap occurred. What do you say?" Demon Phantom asked.

" _I say you can go to hell, you elf-eared piece of shit._ " Vlad choked.

Angered by Vlad's continued defiance, the Demon picked Vlad up and smacked him across the ground, sending him tumbling into a nearby car.

"Fool! Are you trying to make me kill you? What do you hope to accomplish by this?" Demon Phantom asked.

" _Old men get bored too. If this is the end of the world, I might as well enjoy it._ " Vlad remarked.

Demon Phantom grabbed Vlad by the neck, causing him to choke under the Demon's tight grip around his neck. Demon Phantom, growing impatient by Vlad's antics, began to grow more vengeful and angered by the crude remaks he had endured.

"Fine, then. If it's a slow death you want, then it's a slow death you get." Demon Phantom said.

* * *

Inside Fenton Tower...

Dani Phantom, outgunned and outnumbered, found herself in immense danger as many of the experimental weaponry and equipment came alive within the room, all preparing to attack her. The machines, beginning their attack, fired a barrage of lasers straight to Dani, giving her little to no time to react.

Thinking fast, Dani jumped behind a desk, flipping it over as she jumped, just barely being covered by the onslaught of gunfire heading straight for her. Having very little options to defend herself, Dani decided to keep her cover and use range-based attacks against the enemy instead.

Popping up and down from behind her cover, Dani fired ectoplasmic blasts to the coming attackers, just barely able to land shots in without facing any coming enemy fire. As many of the weapons were built to withstand resistance from ectoformic attackers, the weapons proved themselves to be extremely formidable foes, taking nearly all of Dani's force to down.

Firing on the possessed weapons with all her might, Dani just barely managed to defend herself from harm, her full force just barely sufficing against the endless waves of possessed technology. SkullTech, observing and orchestrating the fight, found himself amused at the struggles of Dani Phantom.

" _Oh, what's the matter, now? I thought this is what you wanted._ " SkullTech said.

Dani, needing updating Vlad on the situation, turned her Fenton Phones back on, calling him to tell him the debacle she found herself in.

"Vlad? You there? Things are gonna be a little long on my end, I hope you're not too far in on your fight." Dani said.

* * *

As Dani made her call, Vlad continued accepting his brutal punishment from Demon Phantom, being knocked back and forth with numerous brutal punches. With each punch, Vlad staggered back on his feet, barely able to continue standing upright.

" _I don't that matters now, I've just barely managed to dent Demon Phantom, and he's tearing me apart._ " Vlad said.

Demon Phantom landed a kick to Vlad's stomach, knocking him on his back with the hard asphalt adding to the impact of his fall. Continuing his brutal assault, Demon Phantom picked Vlad up by his leg and began swinging him around in a circular motion, building up momentum for his next move.

With enough momentum built up from his continuous swinging, Demon Phantom released Vlad, sending him flying across the city out of control. Reappearing right in Vlad's flightpath, Demon Phantom landed an elbow to Vlad's head, knocking him to the ground in pain once again.

Demon Phantom, enjoying giving Vlad his brutal beating, gave a smile and a chuckle, finding a great sense of amusement in his activites of sadism to his former subject and unofficial father.

"I'm disappointed in you, father. Very, very disappointed. I suppose it wasn't you I inherited my more evil traits from, it was from Danny after all." The Demon said.

" _You... Are no son... of mine..._ " Vlad said.

With the numerous abuse taking its toll on Vlad, each word out of his mouth began to sound weaker and weaker, his breath beginning to sound more and more labored to keep him alive. Demon Phantom, noticing this, decided to increase Vlad's struggle to survive further by stepping on his back, applying an extreme amount of force to his spine.

Vlad, unable to withstand such a crushing force against his back, screamed in agony at the experience, his consciousness beginning to fade more and more as the pain increased. Demon Phantom, continuing his punishment on Vlad Plasmius, laughed more at his fight becoming one-sided in his direction.

* * *

In the battlefield between living and dead, Danny still standing on the sidelines, unable to help, continued to grow anxious from his lack of participation. Not being able to help those in need in a fight that they had little chance of winning, Danny easily considered this moment in time the worst and most tense moment of his life.

Watching the fight from a distance, Danny continued to watch as numerous young men and women of the Ecto Corps continued to fight the constant flow of hostile ghosts heading straight for them, fighing off the vicious blitzkrieg with nothing but ectoplasmic rifles and their own wits. Unable to help, Danny was forced to watch as many of these young men and women were cut down in their prime by the hordes of the undead, both their lives and afterlives taken by the Army of Darkness that continued its threat on the world of the living.

Unable to tolerate standing aside while others were dying, Danny started his bike and revved the engine, sending off a loud, healthy purr of the engine. With the sound of the engine cutting through the orgy of noise that belonged to the fight ahead, Danny began to rush his bike straight for Fenton Tower, prematurely setting off Vlad's plans.

"I hope you guys put the pedal to the metal on that generator, because I can't wait anymore! I'm going in!" Danny said.

* * *

Vlad, catching note of Danny's premature engagement into the fight, found himself in a state of panic, not knowing what to do to ensure the plans continued as he needed them to. Calling Danny over his Fenton Phones, Vlad tried to talk him out of his brashness.

"Danny, no! We're not ready! You could be throwing off your one shot!" Vlad said.

" _I can't sit around and watch people get killed senselessly, Vlad. If you're going to get that window open for me, I suggest you do it now!_ " Danny said.

Thinking quickly, Vlad called Dani over his Fenton Phones, re-configuring his plan to fit the changed situation.

"Dani, Danny's starting his run prematurely. Get to that generator now!" Vlad said.

Dani, receiving her revised instructions, prepared herself for the sudden change of plans, barely able to keep up with the affairs in front of her.

"Danny, if you screw this up, you're gonna have some serious hell to pay." Dani said.

Jumping up from the minimal cover of the turned desk that she was using, Dani changed her defensive stance to an offensive one, preparing to make it to the generator at all costs.

* * *

[Soundtrack Cue: White Zombie - Super-Charger Heaven]

Rushing towards Fenton Tower with speeds that no normal vehicle could reach, Danny shot his way down the crowded highways of battle between living and dead, rushing towards his destination with high speed and determination. All to eager to get his powers back and save the world, Danny's anxiety fueled his own drive to reach the tower just as the bike was fueled by its own power source.

Rushing through the fight, running down numerous ghosts as did so, aiming to reduce the numbers of the undead, began to catch the attention of the undead army. Many ghosts, flying after Danny, began to turn their attention away from the Ecto Corps, leaving many of them with more beatable odds against the undead. Danny, needing to fight off his own attackers, readied himself for retaliation on his pursuers.

Carefully balancing himself on top of his bike, Danny pulled out 2 ectoplamsic pistols, firing at his pursuing ghosts, sending them straight for Oblivion. The bike, carefully designed by Vlad Plasmius, balanced itself easily on its own, giving Danny more than enough ability to turn and face his enemies. Continuing to fire on the rabidly pursuing ghosts, Danny managed to reduce their numbers significantly, leading many ghosts in the group to split off in search for easier prey.

In front of Danny, however, one stray ghost managed to land himself in front of his bike, preparing to strike from behind. Danny, taking notice of this invading ghost just in time, turned to face his surprise attacker, only to be met with a familiar face.

"Hey, Danny! Remember me?" The ghost asked.

The sneaking ghost was none other than the ghost of Freakshow, back from his death brought by Dani Phantom.

"Guess I finally got to be a ghost! Now that I am, I'm curious to see if I can still eat you, and if you'll taste any different!" Freakshow said.

Freakshow leaned in to bite into Danny, hoping to obtain a large bite of meat for himself. Before Freakshow could land a bite, however, Danny shoved his ectoplasmic pistol in his mouth, making him realize that he would not have a chance to reach his goal any time soon.

"Taste weaponized ectoplasm, you disgusting cannibal clown!" Danny said.

Pulling the trigger of his pistol, Danny blasted Freakshow's head clean off once again, sending him to Oblivion, where he could no longer harm anyone else. Having finished off his attackers, Danny rested himself back on his bike, continuing his ride to Fenton Tower.

* * *

Dani, rushing head-on to her multiple enemies, charged onto the possessed machinery with her fists charged with ectoplasmic energy, aiming to use physical power backed with ectoplasmic power. Managing to blast her way through the multiple robots and weapons, Dani headed herself straight for the elevator, still needing to open the barrier preventing her from getting inside.

"How the hell am I supposed to get past this wall? It's pure Ectoranium!" Dani pondered aloud.

One machine heading towards Dani, a large exo-suit armed with large fists began to make its way to her, giving her inspiration on how to deal with her obstacle.

"That'll work." Dani thought aloud.

The exo-suit, charging its hydraulic fists with as much energy as they were designed to handle, prepared to make its strike on Dani Phantom. Despite being a powerful suit, the suit, only led by SkullTech's limited control of it, did not plan for Dani's cunning plan to trick it.

Dani, patiently awaiting the suit to make its attack, eagerly sat and awaited the suit strike. Once the suit began to deliver its punch, Dani quickly moved out of its way, leading the suit to continue the punch without any way to stop. The suit landed its punch straight into the barrier to the elevator, destroying it completely and giving Dani access inside.

"Thanks, dipshit, see you later!" Dani said.

" _What?! How did you- Get back here!_ " SkullTech shouted.

Dani, turning intangible, quickly rushed her way down the elevator shaft, quickly making her way to the generator room. Within a few minutes, Dani made it safely to the generator, patiently awaiting her time to destroy the it, charging her hands in readiness.

"I'm at the generator, just give the word." Dani said.

* * *

Vlad still continued to endure his brutal beating delivered by Demon Phantom, suffering numerous punches and kicks backed by innumerable ectoplasmic energy. Vlad, having endured yet another heavy punch by the tyrannical Demon Phantom, fell to his knees, keeping himself from fully falling down by pushing himself off the ground with his arms.

Demon Phantom, growing bored of beating down Vlad, decided to end the beating, turning it instead to an execution. Charging his hand with enough ectoplasmic energy to destroy Vlad Plasmius, gave his victim one chance to make peace with himself before his demise.

"Any last words, father?" Demon Phantom asked.

Vlad, breathing heavily, caught his breath enough to bring himself off his hands and face Demon Phantom, preparing to deliver his last words. While pondering for the last insult that he could deliver to the evil specter, out of the corner of his eye, he took notice to Danny making his way straight to Fenton Tower.

* * *

Danny, continuing his way to Fenton Tower, became very close to the skyscraper, very nearly coming into a collision with it. Taking advantage of a demolished car resting near the building, Danny used the car like a ramp, jumping the bike off the road and straight to the side of the building, driving up the skyscraper with the ectoplasmic treads sticking to the walls.

* * *

Vlad, taking notice of Danny's quick upwards descent, realized that the plan was moving far better than anticipated. Realizing the victory was within his grasp, Vlad knew the right last words to deliver to Demon Phantom.

"I've got a few to say. Dani, now!" Vlad said.

At the basement of Fenton Tower, Dani fired as much ectoplasmic energy as she could at the generator, completely obliterating it. Within seconds of numerous ectoplasmic barrages of fire, the generator was quickly reduced to shrapnel and ashes.

Atop Fenton Tower, the portal deactivated, not having any power to support its rift to the Ghost Zone. Demon Phantom, taking notice of the portal's deactivation, gave an amused laugh at Demon Phantom's efforts, not aware of Vlad's other motives.

"That's all you've got? Turning off my portal for a few seconds? Surely you do remember that the power will return shortly. You have done nothing to stop my invasion." Demon Phantom said.

"Who said anything about all that?" Vlad asked.

Before Demon Phantom could understand what Vlad meant, he took another look the the portal, seeing a small object beginning to make its way to the portal. Upon closer inspection, Demon Phantom realized that the object was Danny Fenton, very closely nearing the portal. Upon understanding what Vlad's real plan was, Demon Phantom made his way to the top with as much speed as he could, desperate to prevent his archnemesis from regaining his powers again.

" _WHAT?! HOW WAS I SO CARELESS?! NO!_ _ **NO!**_ " Demon Phantom shouted.

As Demon Phantom made his way to the portal, flying at speeds not visible to the human eye, Danny launched the bike off the side of the skyscraper, heading straight for the portal. Jumping off the bike at the right moment, Danny flew straight into the portal, awaiting the power to return.

Demon Phantom, not fast enough to catch Danny amidst his flight into the portal, was too late to stop him, only able to watch as the portal began to reactivate with Danny inside. With the ectoplasmic energy surging inside his body, Danny could feel the portal taking its effect on him, just as planned.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Unlike the many other times that Danny has undergone this process, each time agonizing beyond human comprehension, this larger portal and larger dose of ectoplasm created an experience far beyond even that. His DNA was pushed to its absolute limit, being just microscopic levels of ectoplasm away from destroying it entirely.

Danny, in far too much pain to even fully humanly comprehend, screamed so loud that his own voice began to crack and lose, unable to fully express the unmeasurable pain that he was in. Where the experience of the past portals gave an experience that lasted for several minutes where it was truly seconds, this one felt like hours of agony and torture under Danny Fenton.

Finally, Danny fell out from the maelstrom of ectoplasm, the portal rejecting him outward. Not having any cushioning to soften his blow, Danny hit the ground of the rooftop, not moving and seemingly not breathing.

Demon Phantom, not knowing if Danny was alive with his powers or dead from his efforts, watched his body in fear, not knowing if he was to rise. Within several minutes of anxious waiting, however, the many moments of waiting soon became moments of relief, seeing as Danny was not rising from the ground.

With his verdict decided from what he viewed, Danny was declared dead by Demon Phantom. Making his mind up, Demon Phantom gave a victorious laugh, believing that the final threat to his newfound rule had been crushed.

"You fool, Vlad! Did you really think that all would be so easy?" Demon Phantom asked.

Vlad, believing his plan to have failed, hung his head in shame, growling at the seeming failure that had occurred.

"No. No! It wasn't supposed to be like this! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!" Vlad shouted.

Demon Phantom flew back to Vlad in an instant, delivering a sharp kick to his face. With the impact of the kick taking its toll, Vlad fell on his back, no longer having the energy nor the drive to continue the fight.

"Is that so? Tell me, then, how did you think this was going to go? Danny wakes up, defeats me, and you all grow old? You cannot beat me. I am immortal!" Demon Phantom said.

* * *

On top of Fenton Tower, something began to stir inside of the body of Danny Fenton. Inside his body, his DNA began to recollect itself and reform, his body beginning to undertake the mutation. Within seconds, his heart slowly began to beat and his breath slowly began to return.

With life seemingly returning to Danny, he opened his eyes. Upon opening his eyes, they began to have a green glow to them, signalling his true return.

* * *

"Now, then, Vlad, since you say you wanted a nice death as an old man, I suppose I'll grant you that now. Goodbye, father." Demon Phantom said.

Before Demon Phantom could deliver his final killing blow to Vlad Plasmius, a separate ectoplasmic blast hit the back of Demon Phantom, blowing him several feet away, crashing into a building. Upon getting himself out of the rubble of the building, Demon Phantom looked to see who had fired the blast on him, only to face his sudden and apparent doom. Not able to accept his fate so soon, Demon Phantom looked upon his attacker with a look of shock and horror.

" _No... That's impossible..._ " Demon Phantom said.

Standing alone against the undead force of evil, Danny Phantom, finally reborn from his trials and tribulations, stood tall and powerful against his evil half, ready to defeat him once and for all.

"Alright, edgelord, let's do this." Danny Phantom said.


	18. Chapter 17: The Towering Inferno

**CHAPTER 17: THE TOWERING INFERNO**

Amity Park. Once the most prosperous city on the planet, the was seen as the new cradle of civilization, bringing forth discoveries and technological advancements beyond most human comprehension. With the discovery of the Ghost Zone, a new, untapped potential was ripe for experimentation and research, bringing about a new age of humanity.

With the return of the time-exiled being Dark Danny, now renaming himself as Demon Phantom, the once-great city has been the ground zero of the very apocalypse itself. Upon finishing the creation of a Ghost Portal larger than any the world had ever seen, the entire populace of the Ghost Zone have escaped their eternal purgatory to exact their vengeance on the living. Having seemingly rid the world of Danny Phantom, the planet's greatest protector against ectoformic threats, all hope seemed lost for the Earth and its inhabitants.

However, if not for the intervention of the cloned Dani Phantom, Danny would never have survived to continue his fight. Despite not having his powers, Danny pushed on as best as he could, trying to ward off the pain of losing his entire family to a creature born of that same pain. With a desperate and last-ditch effort attempt to regain his powers, Danny, with the assistance of Vlad and Dani, made a plan to temporarily deactivate the portal and get inside once it reactivated, recreating the events that led to his origin as Danny Phantom.

Despite a seeming death by absorbing ectoplasm levels that not even many ghosts could tolerate, the plan has worked, and, now, Danny stands strong, reborn as Danny Phantom once again. With the maximum amount of ectoplasm altering his DNA, not only has he regained his powers with all their muscle memory of training, but perhaps has gained even more power than Demon Phantom himself.

Now, Danny and the Demon, two uncanny beings of ultimate power, stand off against each other, each looking at each other as if the other was a reflection of their most hated qualities in themselves. Powerful beyond powerful, the Earth rumbles and shakes with their seemingly limitless powers opposing one another. Both the living and the dead, both once in a vicious war against one another, take their attention off the fight in favor of the two beings facing each other. Never knowing power like any seen before, the bodies and souls of the living and the dead tremble at the sight of their godlike abilities.

"Come on, flame-head, you want to fight me, don't you?" Danny asked.

"This is impossible! No one could have survived that dosage of ectoplasm, not even me! How did you survive that?!" Demon Phantom asked.

"Survival isn't just a matter of what your body can take, Demon. I have something that you could never have, something that will always give me the edge that you can never have."

Demon Phantom, not believing Danny's speech, gave a snicker and a chuckle at his seemingly brash statement.

"Well, then, tell me, what might that edge be?" Demon Phantom asked.

"I have something that I love and something that I'll fight for. You had that once, but you gave it up long ago. You had a family had friends that loved you, and that you loved back, all the way back when the Nasty Burger exploded." Danny said.

"Those people mean nothing to me now! I am the most powerful being in the universe! I have become a god now! What use have I of petty emotion like love and empathy? I have evolved past those insipid things!"

"Your only plan is to bring an end to life so you can rule over all of ghostkind. Omnicide isn't a very godly thing to do, last time I checked. You know, I never understood your plans until just recently. I understand why you want to bring an end to life."

"Oh, really? Danny Phantom has found a desire to play counselor to his enemies? Tell me, then, if you've figured me out, then why I wish to bring an end to life?"

"You still mourn the loss of your version of our family."

Demon Phantom, not having an immediate reply, began to find himself questioning whether Danny's statement was true or another bluff. However, as hard as the Demon tried to search for his reply to Danny, looking for a fallacy in his words, he could not find one.

"You wanted Vlad to take out your human half to take away the pain of losing them all, but it didn't work. It was still there. It's because that, ghost half or not, you were still a person of emotion and feeling, and a loss that huge was too big a toll on you. I know that because, for the past few days, I _was_ you. You tore out my ghost half, killed my family, and left me for dead. Sound familiar?" Danny asked.

Demon Phantom, beginning to grow frustrated by Danny's impeccable analysis of his character, began trading his witty comebacks and eloquent speeches for simple, unbridled rage, wishing only now for Danny's demise.

" _ENOUGH! YOU THINK YOU CAN PLAY MIND GAMES WITH ME?!_ _ **I AM NOT YOU ANYMORE!**_ _I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, AND, THIS TIME, I WILL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO OBLIVION!_ " Demon Phantom shouted.

Danny, readying himself for the final fight with his past self, charged his body with ectoplasmic energy, ready to stop his evil half once and for all.

"Okay, Demon, take your best shot." Danny said.

Demon Phantom, wasting no time to begin the fight with his enemy, charged straight at Danny, intent on taking his soul straight to Oblivion. Despite throwing punches faster than the speed of light, not a single hit managed to land on Danny; he dodged each and every strike as if they were never there. Too determined to stop his attack, Demon Phantom continued throwing numerous punches straight at Danny, trying to land a hit. Danny, still effortlessly dodging his punches, was left completely unharmed by Demon Phantom's attempts to attack.

Danny, deciding to finally make a move of his own, grabbed the Demon's hand from his last punch, stopping him and leaving him unable to move his hand. Despite using nearly all of his strength, Demon Phantom could not break free of Danny's grip, Danny having nearly a crushing grip on his hand.

Now having the Demon in a weak point, Danny fired a huge ectoplasmic blast straight to Demon Phantom's chest, knocking him back several feet into the air, crashing into a nearby tower. Having hit the tower with so much force, the building began to collapse on top of Demon Phantom, piling him in rubble and rock.

The Demon, forcing himself out from the collapsed building tried to prepare himself to deliver another attack, but, as he emerged from the rubble, he was immediately met by Danny Phantom standing right before him, giving Demon Phantom a startle as Danny moved with such incredible speed.

Upon meeting with his enemy head-on, Danny laid in numerous punches straight into Demon Phantom, his punches moving even faster than those of the Demon's. Landing in nearly thousands of punches in just a matter of minutes, Danny had the Demon near Oblivion in just a short time.

Not wanting to end his opponent with a series of simple blows to the chest, Danny grabbed the Demon by his head, swinging him in numerous circles and throwing him several miles across the city, flying directly behind him to await his impact. When Demon Phantom came close to impact, Danny delievered a sharp punch to his face, sending him plummeting towards the ground.

Demon Phantom hit the ground with full force, very nearly devastating him. Barely able to stand up, his consciousness fading in and out, his first sight coming to him was Danny Phantom, stading before him yet again. Continuing to exact his vengeance on the malicious ghost from the future, Danny approached him slowly, allowing the Demon time to fully accept his fate.

" _This is impossible... How can you have become this powerful? It doesn't make any sense!_ " Demon Phantom said.

"I've just had enough ectoplasm to disintegrate someone flow through my body. I've got more power than you could ever have. Now, I'm going to show you just how much pain you've caused my family!" Danny said.

Rushing to Demon Phantom, Danny landed in even more punches and kicks straight to his face and chest, moving at speeds that barely registered on any human scale of speed. Giving every inch of energy within his body to inflict as much punishment on his tormenter that he could, Danny Phantom enjoyed each and every blow that he landed into Demon Phantom, finally avenging his family.

After one last punch to his chest, a punch charged with innumerable amounts of ectoplasm fired with it, Demon Phantom finally fell to the ground, unable to move. It was at this point that Danny knew he had won the fight with his evil counterpart, but this was not enough for him to be content.

Launching himself into the air, Danny charged up his energy for one last blow to deliver to Demon Phantom. Summoning all of the untapped energy in his body, Danny prepared to deliver his strongest attack in his arsenal: the Ghostly Wail. Opening his jaw and flexing his vocal chords to their absolute maximum, Danny screamed at the top of his lungs, delivering the deadly Ghostly Wail.

Unlike his previous usages of the Ghostly Wail, where the wail sounded like a simple scream, this new, ultra-powered version made a sound like none ever heard in the worlds of the dead or undead, sounding high-pitched and as less human as possible. The observers of the fight, both the living and the dead, needed to cover their ears to avoid damaging their eardrums from such a horrifying attack.

The scream, upon reaching Demon Phantom, began to destroy him on a nearly molecular level, crushing him into the ground and tearing apart his body with every second of the attack being inflicted on him, unable to withstand it or defend himself.

Finally, after numerous hours of screaming, Danny finally ended his attack on Demon Phantom, having buried him in rubble and dirt, finally defeating his greatest enemy. Upon taking one simple glance upon the Army of Darkness, still spectating the fight, the army of the undead all immediately made their next move without hesitation.

Screaming in fear that matched that of a child fearing a shot, the legion of ghosts immediately fled from Danny, heading straight back into the portal to the Ghost Zone, never even considering return again.

"Run! He'll kill us- Uh, destroy us all!" One ghost said.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Another ghost said.

"I was better off dead!" A different ghost said.

With all the ghosts immediately rushing back into the Ghost Zone, Danny fired an ectoplasmic blast destroying the portal, cancelling the apocalypse and saving the Earth. Having finished his task, Danny flew back down to Vlad, helping him off the ground.

" _I don't believe it... We did it... We actually did it..._ " Vlad said.

"What do you mean, 'we'? I did all the work." Danny said.

" _I was the one who had to keep him busy for you to power up again._ "

"Yeah, I know, I'm just joking."

Vlad gave a slight chuckle, choking on his own blood from doing so.

" _Danny, I'm sorry everything had to turn out this way. I've been a horrible person, and so many people had to pay for my mistakes, including your parents. I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry-_ " Vlad began to say.

"Save it for later. We need to get you some medical help." Danny said.

As Danny began to carry Vlad to the Ecto Corps, seeking out a medic to heal him, Dani Phantom flew to the scene, joining the two.

"What'd I miss?" Dani asked.

"Oh, nothing, I just kicked Demon Phantom's ass, saved the world, all in a day's work." Danny smirked.

Dani gave Danny a hug, taking pride in his victory over Demon Phantom. Danny, still trying to hold Vlad up, returned the hug with his other arm.

"I knew you could do it." Dani said.

"Thanks for not giving up on me." Danny said.

" _Hate to interrupt the Hallmark moment, but can we please set me down somewhere with a doctor?_ " Vlad asked.

Dani, taking Vlad's other arm, helped Danny carry him to a medic. With the both of them carrying Vlad, the journey was a slightly easier time on the both of them, now sharing the load.

" _Dani, I-_ " Vlad tried to say.

"Save it, Vlad, you need your strength." Dani said.

" _Please, just listen... I'm sorry that I made you what you are. I had no right to play god. I just wanted my own version of Danny, and I never thought of what it meant to bring life into the world... I should've been better to you..._ "

Dani found herself slow to reply, realizing that Vlad's exhausted words were from the bottom of his heart. Finally feeling years of closure from her nightmares of an existence born of mad science, Dani gave a sigh of relief from Vlad's sincere apology.

"Thank you, Vlad, but there's no reason to apologize anymore. I'm my own woman now, and my past doesn't affect my future." Dani said.

"Well, I think you've got a pretty bright future at Fenton Works. You and I can make a great team." Danny said.

"Yeah, right, you and I, ghost hunters?"

"No, seriously. You beat Ember, The Fright Knight, and SkullTech all on your own. Well, maybe I helped with The Fright Knight, but, still."

"Wait... I didn't beat SkullTech."

"You didn't?"

"No, I was too busy to get to the generator because you jumped the gun."

"...So, then, what happened to him?"

Danny's answer began to show itself with the sudden appearance of an earthquake, shaking the ground and knocking down numerous buildings. A few feet away from the group, the brigade of Ecto Corps found themselves involuntarily part of the strange phenomenon, as all their weapons and technological equipment were mysteriously pulled from their hands, all heading straight for Fenton Tower.

"Uh... Dani... When you were fighting SkullTech, he didn't happen to take over any tech in the building, did he?" Danny asked.

"I didn't see him, I think he was in the..." Dani began to say.

"In the what? Dani, in the what?!"

"...in the building's mainframe."

Upon realizing just how much trouble the group was in, Danny's face went to a state of complete distress, with fear unlike he had never encountered before.

" _Oh... shit._ " Danny said.

[Soundtrack Cue: Static-X - The Trance is the Motion]

With Danny saying the only words that could come to his mouth with the horrifying revelation that occurred, the Fenton Tower began to rise out of the ground, floating in the air, for all to see. Vlad, the Phantoms, and the Ecto Corps all found themselves shocked and appalled at the sight before their eyes, not knowing what to make of the situation.

The building, still floating in the air, began to suck everything electronic in the area towards it. Cars, cell phones, computers, televisions, game consoles, and anything that ran on electricity began to head straight for it. As the electronic objects began to head for the tower, all the objects sucked towards it began to fall apart at their seams, reducing into a mishmashed array of metal, wires, and circuitry.

As the disassembled parts of the electronic object began to orbit the floating tower, the tower itself began to join the parts, beginning to shed its pieces to orbit around the center. With most of the building chipping itself away, the remaining building began to resemble that of a human torso. With the building now reformed for the next part of its transformation, the surrounding parts began to join it.

Metal and wire began to form around the ends of the building, forming arms and legs that supported the center upright. Despite the many different parts going into the creation of the arms and legs, all with distinct looks and colors, the finished limbs began to resemble those of human arms and legs, all functioning perfectly.

With the limbs being completed, the remaining parts began to surround the top of the figure, forming into that of a human skull. With the formation of the skull complete, the skull began to burn with a green flame, with the remainder of the body giving a green glow as well.

As the body began to glow bright green, numerous weapons and tools of destruction began to appear on the body; tank cannons laid on the body's shoulders, guns laid across the arms, and numerous grenades hung from the legs, ready to drop.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Dani said.

With Fenton Tower now fully reformed into the new body of SkullTech, only one last task laid in store for the new and improved SkullTech.

Taking one small object from his skin, SkullTech picked up a Fenton Thermos, holding it up to the group. Making no effort to crush the small object in his hands, SkullTech crushed the thermos, setting the occupant inside free. The occupant was none other than Ember McClain, now free from her prison.

"Uh, is there a reason you didn't have that somewhere safe?" Danny asked.

"What, you expected me to anticipate a giant machine would suck up the thermos?" Dani asked.

* * *

Atop the new body of SkullTech, Ember looked around herself in confusion, not knowing what had happened for the last few hours.

"What the- What happened?!" Ember asked.

"Hey, Ember, feeling late to the party?" SkullTech asked.

Ember turned around to face SkullTech, shocked and frightened at the new sight standing before her.

"What the hell are you?!" Ember asked.

"Hey, Ember, if you still think I'm not as big, if you know what I mean, you oughta take a look at me now." SkullTech said.

"Wha- Skulker? What happened to you?"

"I said it before, I'm not Skulker anymore, I'm SkullTech. As for what happened, while you were trapped inside that soup can, Danny got his powers back and beat Demon Phantom."

"He beat Demon Phantom?! And you wanna take him on?!"

"With this new body, that won't be too hard. Now, I've just disarmed the entire Ecto Corps, do you wanna sit around and do nothing, or do you wanna rip their spines out?"

"Well, when you put it that way, sure."

The towering body of SkullTech began to rain destruction upon the disarmed Ecto Corps, firing his entire arsenal of weapons down on the small brigade. Ember was all too eager to join in the carnage, being recently freed from her spaceless and timeless prison. The Ecto Corps, having no other means to defend themselves, began to run as fast as possible, only to be quickly attacked by SkullTech and Ember.

SkullTech, with his new body, rained down a maelstrom of bullets and fire on the Ecto Corps, quickly reducing their numbers in seconds. Ember, using her guitar as her tool of destruction, played deadly soundwaves that caused the ground to shake and tremble, killing numerous more infantrymen. If the two ever had moments of bonding as a couple, this would possibly be their finest moment together.

Watching the fight from afar, Danny and Dani knew they could not stand by while the two ghosts continued their rampage. Thinking fast, the two decided to make a plan to take them out, finally finishing the fight.

"They're not gonna last long out there. You take Ember, I'll take SkullTech." Danny said.

"You wanna take on that thing?! Are you nuts?!" Dani asked.

"I've lived in Fenton Tower for most of my life, I know my ins and outs around it. Inside, there's the main generator that powers the whole thing. If I can overload that, the whole thing'll blow."

"Hey, genius, I blew the generator. Remember?"

"You blew the auxillary generator, the backup that started the portal again is the main generator. I know how to get to it. Besides, I just finished off Demon Phantom, the biggest guy here, so this should be relatively easy."

Dani thought for a moment, contemplating whether the plan was worth following. After a brief moment of thinking, Dani finally agreed on Danny's plan.

"Okay, sounds good enough." Dani said.

Danny and Dani gently set Vlad on the ground, making sure not to harm him any further than he was.

"You just sit tight, we got this." Danny said.

" _Sure, it's not like I can go anywhere else._ " Vlad joked.

Danny and Dani took to the skies, ready to stop the destructive duo and finish the reign of Demon Phantom once and for all.

Dani, immediately heading to Ember McLain, stopped her just short of firing another sonic blast towards the remaining Ecto Corps. Ember, annoyed at the sight of her victor, immediately readied herself for a fight.

"Hey, bitch, ready for round two?" Dani asked.

"You again?! I'm gonna spank your goddamn twat for that dirty trick, you little slut!" Ember shouted.

"I saw you eyeball SkullTech's new body not two seconds ago. Who's really the slut?"

Ember angrily rushed straight for Dani, immediately swinging her guitar at her. Dani, too quick to be hit by simple attacks, effortlessly dodged her strikes with graceful dodges accompanied with a smug smile. Taking the opportunity as it laid open for a good while, Dani landed a sharp punch to Ember's chest, hitting her in her right breast, causing her to groan in pain and fly to the ground.

"You punched me in the tit?! What kind of move is that?" Ember asked.

"You call those tits? Just take a look at these girls." Dani said.

Dani groped her own breasts, taunting Ember over her visibly smaller ones. Jealous and angry over Dani's sexual taunt, Ember immediately pounced on Dani and began beating her with her bare fists, turning the undead brawl into a catfight.

As the two continued on their visious tumble on the ground, the Ecto Corps, once running away from the terrorizing Ember, began to watch the fight unfold between Dani and Ember. The two began to continue their fight so brutally on each other that portions of their clothes began to tear off, beginning to entice the Ecto Corps into watching the fight.

* * *

Away in the sky, apart from the fight on the ground turning into a sexual experience for some of the observers, Danny continued to make his way to SkullTech, avoiding the barrage of fire that all aimed straight for him.

Avoiding the numerous amounts of gunfire attempting to knock him out of the sky, Danny fired back at the numerous guns and weapons laying across the new body of SkullTech, trying to reach the inside of what remained of Fenton Tower. SkullTech, not so easy to allow himself to be defeated in such a way, began swatting at Danny with his bare hands, like trying to swat a fly.

"Don't you get it, Danny? I've just gotten inside your whole tower full of weapons and technology more advanced than anything on Earth. Even with all that power you've amassed, there's no way you can fight me now." SkullTech said.

"Don't be so sure, big guy, I know that tower better than you ever could!" Danny shouted.

Danny dodged a swipe from SkullTech's hand, following his dodge with an ectoplasmic blast fired straight for his abdomen. With a large enough hole melted within the remaining tower, Danny flew inside the newly opened hole, entering the remaining Fenton Tower.

Upon entering the building, Danny found that the floor was surrounded by numerous prototype Fenton Works androids and battletech, all aiming their weapons straight for him.

"Huh. Well, this is gonna be harder than I thought." Danny thought.

* * *

Back on the ground, Dani and Ember continued their intense catfight, beginning to tear their clothing down to the bare minimum. The surrounding Ecto Corps, continuing to enjoy the fight, began to cheer the two on, not for one or the other to win, but, rather, for them to remove their last bits of clothing.

Dani and Ember, too focused on fighting each other to hear the hormonal cries of the Ecto Corps, began to wear each other down to their last bits of energy, barely able to stand on their own two feet for much longer. After numerous more brawling punches to each other, Dani and Ember began to breathe heavily, needing to recover from their fight.

"I think you're just about finished. Ready to give up?" Dani asked.

"Coming from the little skeeze who's barely able to stand up. How about you just drop dead already?" Ember asked.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see you on the ground, begging for forgiveness."

"Forgive this, you half-dead bitch!"

Ember jumped to Dani to deliver another pouncing attack, using the last of her strength to finally defeat her opponent. However, just before she managed to get close to Dani, one final blow from her opponent put a stop to her fighting ability.

As Ember flew into the air, Dani landed a sharp, painful kick to her crotch, nearly shattering any sort of feeling that she had possessed in that area. The observing Ecto Corps, despite not having the same equipment to comprehend the same pain, found themselves protecting their groins in emphatic pain.

In far too much pain to move any more, Ember fell flat to the ground, curling into a fetal position to try to consciously block out the immense pain in her crotch, now beginning to reach her stomach.

" _Right on the jellybean... Not again..._ " Ember groaned.

Despite incapacitating her opponent, Dani was still not satisfied with having Ember on the ground. Flipping Ember on her stomach, Dani prepared to deliver the final humiliating blow to Ember McLain.

Dani, showing no mercy on her enemy, pulled down Ember's lower garments, beginning to spank her bare bottom like a disobedient child, humiliating her for everyone to see. The Ecto Corps, barely able to believe their eyes, found their jaws dropping at the sight of Dani humiliating Ember.

Finally, after numerous punishing slaps to the buttocks, Dani delivered a sharp kick to Ember's face, completely knocking her out and putting her out of the fight. The Ecto Corps, more than impressed with the free show, cheered for Dani, fully satisfied with viewing the catfight.

"Alright, Dani!" One soldier shouted.

"You go, girl!" Another soldier shouted.

"Marry me!" A different soldier shouted.

Dani, upon viewing the spectating soldiers and realizing their lack of participation, grew extremely irritated with the group with their childishness.

"Uh, is there a particular reason none of you could have helped out there?" Dani asked.

The Ecto Corps, upon realizing the trouble they found themselves in, immediately stopped cheering and awkwardly backed away, in fear of being next on Dani's streak of punishment.

* * *

Within the towering body of SkullTech, Dani continued his onslaught on the numerous defense machines resting within his body, trying to make his way to the generator. Blasting through numerous deadly machines all capable of destroying ghosts without any effort, Danny continued to push on through to the generator, intent on ending the fight once and for all.

Amidst his mission, however, he received a call over his Fenton Phones, giving him a small interruption from his task at hand.

" _Danny, I beat Ember, how's things on your end?_ " Dani asked.

"Now's not a good time, I'm still trying to get to the generator." Danny said.

" _Still trying to get inside?_ "

"I'm inside, but I'm trying to fight off all these weapons and prototypes inside. Not really an easy task."

" _Maybe I can give you a hand from the outside. Just keep pushing on._ "

* * *

Outside of Danny's struggle, Dani flew to the towering body of SkullTech, firing numerous ectoplasmic blasts at his face, aiming to gain his attention. Within a few moments, her aims were met as SkullTech turned to her with an angry look on his face.

"Hey, Skullface, you think you could try to be a little more edgy? I think the giant flaming skull head might not be enough." Dani taunted.

"What the- You little insect! You might have gotten away from me once, but that's a mistake I won't be repeating!" SkullTech said.

"Alright, then, big boy, catch me if you can!"

Dani continued to deliver several ectoplasmic blasts to SkullTech, continuing to grab his attention. With SkullTech becoming infuriated by Dani Phantom's obnoxious taunts and attacks, he continued to fight back against her. However, his attacks proved to be ineffective, as she effortlessly dodged his attacks, since SkullTech was not used to fighting with a larger body yet.

* * *

Within SkullTech's body, many of the machines and weaponry fighting Danny began to reduce their fight, as SkullTech was not able to continue giving all his attention to both of the Phantoms at once. With the fight on Danny made significantly easier, he continued to fight his way through the numerous robots, making his way to the main generator.

After making his way to an elevator shaft, Danny raced his way downwards to the bottommost level of Fenton Tower, hoping that the portion of the building he was seeking still remained after SkullTech's transformation. Fortunately, after flying down numerous levels as fast as possible, Danny located the generator room.

Upon reaching the generator room, Danny immediately rushed to the demolished generator that Dani had destroyed to open the portal earlier, lifting it up and tossing it aside. Underneath the very generator that Dani destroyed was a room containing yet another generator, a simplistic design that only the Fentons could formulate.

Charging as much ectoplasmic energy as possible, Danny prepared to channel every unit of energy as he possibly could into the generator, preparing to overload it.

"Okay, SkullTech, you want power? Take as much as you want!" Danny said.

Danny fired a concentrated blast of pure energy directly into the generator, causing it to overload with power. As the generator continued to charge with power, the stability began to weaken and weaken, making it prone to explode at any second.

* * *

Outside the building, Dani continued her distraction upon SkullTech. Before SkullTech could deliver another swat to Dani, he began to feel an immense discomfort, not knowing what the origin of this strange pain was.

"What the- What's happening to me?" SkullTech asked.

"Oh, if everything goes right, Danny should've shut down your generator by now." Dani said.

"No... That's not what it is... I feel... I feel like I ate too much or something..."

" _Hey, Dani, you still here?_ " Danny called.

"Yep, looks like you just took out the generator, what's up?" Dani asked.

" _Actually, I rigged it to blow. You might wanna hit the dirt._ "

"Wait... You what?!"

Rather than waste time questioning Danny's tactics, Dani immediately rushed down to the ground, aiming to avoid the massive explosion to come. Heading towards the Ecto Corps to warn them, Dani flew to the ground as fast as possible, nearly hitting the ground as she landed.

" _ **HIT THE DIRT! EVERYBODY, HIT THE DIRT! HE'S GONNA BLOW!**_ " Dani shouted.

The Ecto Corps, immediately heeding Dani's warning, all laid down on the ground and covered their ears, bracing themselves for the explosion.

Within the body of SkullTech, Danny immediately rushed outwards of SkullTech's body, reaching a safe distance from the explosion. Before leaving SkullTech's sight, he gave a middle finger to SkullTech as a last insult.

"Happy trails, Robo-tard!" Danny shouted.

SkullTech, in far too much pain from the sensation of energy overflowing within his new body, screamed in agony at the torturous experience. Knowing that his end was soon coming, SkullTech cried out in vain, angered over his own defeat.

Finally, SkullTech's agonizing pain came to a stop, as his body created a huge explosion, completely obliterating his entire body and nearly blowing out the eardrums of everyone in the area. Within a blinding flash of green flame, the legacies of both Skulker and Technus came to an end with their combined form sent to Oblivion forever.

When the flame and smoke finally cleared out and all the debris finally hit the ground, Danny landed back on the ground to meet Dani again, both finally victorious over the last of Demon Phantom's army.

"How about next time, you take care of all the boss ghosts so I don't have to?" Danny asked.

"As soon as you promise never to jump the gun on plans again." Dani joked.

The two shared a small laugh and a brief hug, the two finally relieved to have finally ended the apocalyptic forces of Demon Phantom and saving the planet. The Ecto Corps, feeling victorious over the forces of evil with Danny on their side, cheered in excitement as the war was finally over.

Despite the overwhelming victory, Danny was still not satisfied with how things turned out, sadly walking away from Dani. Dani, not knowing what was troubling Danny, followed him to try to comfort him.

"Danny? What's wrong? We just saved the world, what's the problem?" Dani asked.

"Sure, we saved the world, but at what cost? My whole family's dead, including my unborn child. Now, the place that I called home for my whole life just got blown up." Danny said.

"Danny, I know things are hard for you right now, but we can find a way to work past this. Your family's not completely gone, they're just ghosts. We can still see them."

"But it won't ever be the same. They can't do any of the things that we used to do while they were alive. They're just ectoformic beings, they don't eat or sleep or breathe, anything that we can do."

"Well, all families have issues to work out. We can all do it."

"It's not the same. I saved the world, but there's nothing left for me here anymore."

" _I wouldn't call the ball just yet, Danny._ " A voice said.

As Danny and Dani turned to face the origin of the voice, the two found themselves shocked and terrified at the threat standing before them. After all those tedious fights and battles, it seems that one last opponent still remained to fight.

Standing before the Phantoms and the Ecto Corps stood Demon Phantom, still not Oblivious yet.

"That last attack was quite a tickle, Danny. How about you and I try it again?" Demon Phantom asked.


	19. Chapter 18: Man vs Self

**CHAPTER 18: MAN VS. SELF**

Amity Park. Not a few hours ago, it seemed to be the ground zero for the end of the world itself. The malicious being known as Demon Phantom sought out to unleash the entire populace of the Ghost Zone onto the Earth, annihilating all sentient life on the planet. Thanks to the combined efforts of Danny Phantom, Dani Phantom, and Vlad Plasmius, however, it seems that this terrible fate for mankind has been averted. With Demon Phantom defeated, the portal to the Ghost Zone destroyed, and all of Demon Phantom's horsemen defeated, it seemed that the world was once again safe.

How wrong they were.

Standing out of the rubble that he was once buried under, Demon Phantom stood tall, undefeated by Danny's onslaught. Amused by his counterpart's valiant efforts having no effect, the Demon gave a chuckle accompanied by a smug smile.

"Is that the best you can do, Danny boy?" Demon Phantom asked.

Danny, Dani, Vlad, and the entire Ecto Corps found themselves quaking under the sight of Demon Phantom standing before them, seemingly unscathed by Danny's attack.

"Th- That's impossible! I hit you with everything I had! You should be dead!" Danny said.

"Newsflash, I'm already dead. I believe the term you're looking for is 'sent to Oblivion'. While your little temper tantrum took quite a bit of breath out of me, it was nowhere near enough to defeat me. If it makes you feel any better, I got quite an exercise from your efforts." Demon Phantom said.

"But nothing can be that powerful! Even I couldn't take anything like that!" Vlad said.

"Oh, but you forget, I'm not just born of your ghost half, but of Danny's as well. As such, not only do I possess all your abilities and powers, but I also contain a few tricks of my own. Being trapped in that infernal thermos for 10 suspended years gave me a lot of time to work over my powers, and I believe you've earned the right to see a few. Allow me to show you just how powerful I've truly become and how much I've truly been holding back on you."

Planting his feet firmly into the ground, Demon Phantom prepared to charge up his energy, preparing to reveal his true power to the group. Clenching his fists and grunting with effort, the Demon prepared to summon forth his maximum ability to reveal for the world to see.

As he progressed with his transformation, Demon Phantom began to groan and grunt in pain with every effort, sweating bullets at his own efforts. As he continued to proceed with his transformation, his skin began to crack and open, revealing a green glow underneath. The observers began to gasp and quiver at this bizzare sight, not knowing how to perceive this strange sight.

[Soundtrack Cue: Ministry - N.W.O.; Beginning from 0:13]

"Alone, Danny, you and Vlad are but men. But, I... _**I AM A GOD!**_ " Demon Phantom shouted.

Continuing his scream from his last words, Demon Phantom's skin began to crack and break to its absolute limit, resulting in his body exploding in a furious flash of green light. Undead flesh tore away from his body, incinerating in the green flames that his body emitted. The observers, barely able to see past the blinding haze of green fire could just barely take note of the horrifying transformation that Demon Phantom had begun.

When the blinding sensation of light finally came to a stop, the group finally were met with the sight of a newly transformed Demon Phantom standing before them. This new Demon Phantom, standing taller than his previous form, appeared even more menacing than his previous look.

The white details of his appearance, his boots, belt, arms, and sides, all turned to a deathly dark gray, nearly as dark as lead. His light turquoise skin, reminiscent of Vlad's blue skin of his ghost form, turned to a deathly white, giving him more of a vampiric look than his 'father'. His long hair turned from its flamelike appearance to a dark black, still waving in the air as if it still burned. On his chest, the famous 'D' symbol that he bore from his predecessor, Danny Phantom, no longer remained, keeping in tune with his separation from Danny as a person. Opening his eyes to view the crowd standing before him, his eyes turned from their normal look with their red irises, now were a blank green glow, radiating out from his skull.

Danny and Vlad, being the makeup of the malicious being standing before them, looked in shock and fear at the new Demon Phantom, not believing that a being so horrible as this could have come from them.

"What the hell are you?" Danny asked.

Demon Phantom, amused by Danny's question of dumbfoundedness, gave a smile at his question.

"For many years, I have borne many names. Many have called me Satan, some have called me Lucifer, others have called me Beelzebub, a few have called me Mephistopheles, and all call me the devil. However, you will call me none of those things. From here, you will all call me your lord and god." Demon Phantom said.

Moving faster than even the Phantoms could register on their their own visual senses, Demon Phantom delivered a sharp knee sent straight for Danny Phantom's stomach, knocking all breath out of him and sending him flying several feet away. Before he could hit the ground, the Demon grabbed him by his neck, catching him in his mid-air flight with a speed fast enough to outrun his own attack.

Dani, rushing to come to Danny's aid, flew straight at the Demon with an ectoplasm-charged punch, aiming it straight for his face. Demon Phantom, his hand moving with speeds faster than Dani's flight, caught her by her neck. The Demon, now having both of the Phantoms in his hands and at his mercy, gave a snicker as he looked upon the two squirming, attempting in vain to break free of his grip.

"And, now, allow me to provide you both with just a fraction of my abilities." Demon Phantom said.

Mashing the heads of the two Phantoms together, Demon Phantom began his brutal attack. After colliding their skulls with speeds and force that would liquefy regular human skulls, Demon Phantom tossed the two in the air, giving the two just barely enough time to recover from their first infliction of damage.

After Danny and Dani had their consciousnesses return after their unsightly cerebral collision, Demon Phantom transported to the two while they floated in the air, awaiting the two to strike him. They did not leave him waiting for long, as the Phantoms were quick to strike at him.

Despite their punches and blows flying at Demon Phantom with supersonic speeds, neither Danny nor Dani could land a single punch into the Demon. Demon Phantom, dodging all of their attacks effortlessly, laughed at the futile efforts of the two, adding to the desperation and frustration in their attacks.

No longer wanting to waste his time dodging the attacks of the Phantoms, the Demon delivered two punches aimed directly to the faces of Danny and Dani, knocking them both away. Moving directly behind Danny Phantom, the Demon delivered a sharp kick to his ribs, sending him flying directly into Dani Phantom. Continuing the crude and cruel Newton's Cradle, the Demon continued to kick the flying Phantoms into one another, severely injuring the both of them.

Finally, no longer satisfied with playing with his victims, Demon Phantom delivered one last kick sending both of them plummeting to the ground. With both of his victims on the ground, the Demon continued delivering his punishment on the two, beating them both further into the concrete ground.

Taking Dani in one hand, holding her only by her leg, Demon Phantom began to continuously bludgeon Danny with his own clone, injuring them both even further. After one last strike with Dani, releasing her with his last throw to lay on top of Danny, the Demon allowed the two a moment to realize the state of helplessness the two were in.

Danny and Dani Phantom, severely weakened from Demon Phantom's brutal, punishing strike, both breathed heavily in an attempt to bring their consciousnesses back to optimal. Unable to withstand the brutality of it all, they both found themselves coughing and spitting up blood, feeling themselves dying with every blow.

For one last move, Demon Phantom flew back into the air, charging his hand with an ectoplasmic beam attack. Aiming his hand to the bludgeoned Phantoms, Demon Phantom smiled gleefully as he prepared to destroy his enemies once and for all.

"Now, Danny Phantom, and Danielle Phantom, _PREPARE TO TASTE OBLIVION!_ " Demon Phantom shouted.

Firing his blast straight at the defeated Phantoms, the ground exploded and trembled with his awful attack, the bodies of Danny and Dani flying upwards, barely able to withstand the punishing blast. Feeling the immense pain of the directed ectoplasm destroying their bodies, both Danny and Dani had no defenses left but to let out screams of pain and agony.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

After continuing his ectoplasmic beam for a good minute, the blast finally subsided, ending the massive earthquake and blinding light that accompanied his attack. Danny and Dani, no longer able to move, both fell back to the ground, landing just a few feet apart from each other. Demon Phantom, proud over his final defeat over the only threat to his goals of world domination, laughed proudly at his accomplishment.

"Finally! After all your meddling, all your grand efforts, all your foolish perseverance, you have nothing left to show for me but your defeat! I HAVE WON!" Demon Phantom said.

Turning his attention to the Ecto Corps, Demon Phantom prepared to start his rule of darkness upon the unsuspecting observers to the fight. The Ecto Corps, not expecting this surprise turnout of the fight, all shook in fear at the victorious Demon Phantom.

"I am your god now, mortals. Bow your knees." Demon Phantom said.

The Ecto Corps, still disarmed and now completely helpless to defend themselves, fearfully kneeled before Demon Phantom. Not wishing to die by his hands, the group all tearfully begged for their lives, not wishing to his next victims.

"Please, let me live!" One soldier asked.

"Spare me, please!" Another soldier begged.

"I have a family, don't let me die!" A different soldier pleaded.

Demon Phantom, amused by their pleas to live, laughed maniacally at their begging, not taking their requests as anything of importance to him.

"Fools! Do you really think that I would grant you mercy simply because you asked for it? This is my realm now. Being living creatures, by definition, you deserve death. You are worthless beings of pain; your bodies are fragile, your minds are malleable, and your souls hold nothing but vapid notions of primal urges known as 'emotion'. You should be thanking me for ending your pathetic lives." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom, preparing to cleanse the Earth of the living humans standing before him, charged his hand with ectoplasmic energy yet again, preparing to disintegrate his victims. The Ecto Corps, weak and helpless to defend themselves, all screamed and cried where they stood, not knowing what to do in their last moments of life.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the ground, Danny Phantom's consciousness began to fade in and out, just barely catching a glimpse of the events unfolding between his evil counterpart and the remaining Ecto Corps. Too depowered to stop Demon Phantom, Danny continued to lay on the ground, powerless to save them.

Dani, still not willing to give up, began to crawl towards Danny, only having motor control remaining in one arm. Slowly making her way to Danny, she managed to reach within talking distance, using whatever remained of her voice.

" _Danny... We can't give up yet... We've gotta stop him..._ " Dani said.

" _How? We hit him... with everything... we had... We can't beat him..._ " Danny said.

" _Not alone, no... But, together... We might have enough power to stop him..._ "

" _Together? You mean, fuse?_ "

" _Exactly. Our combined powers might be enough to stop him. Give me your hand._ "

Dani extended her hand out to Danny, awaiting him to take it. Danny, complying with her request, grabbed her hand, and the two began pulling each other towards each other. Getting as closely as the two could, the bodies of the two began to merge on a molecular level, fusing together into one single body.

The two powerful entities becoming one single being, the combined Phantoms felt an overwhelming power surge through their combined body, their wounds beginning to heal and their mind beginning to sharpen on the fight. However, as great as their combined power was, it was not nearly enough to defeat Demon Phantom, and both of them knew it.

 _This still isn't good enough. What else can we do?_ Danny asked.

 _We're not the only half-ghosts here. Remember?_ Dani asked.

Wasting no time to follow through on the next task at hand, the Phantoms flew to the wounded Vlad Plasmius, still laying on the ground in pain. The Phantoms, ready to join with Vlad, offered him their hand, ready to fuse. The Phantoms, now as one being, spoke in a harmonic voice, with both of them operating as one.

"Take our hand, Vlad, we need your power." The Phantoms said.

Vlad, baffled and hestitant at the new being standing before him, knew somehow that this being was an ally and here for good. Taking the hand of the Phantoms, Vlad began to fuse his body into theirs, further adding to the power of the combined being.

 _Whoa, what just happened?_ Vlad asked.

 _You just fused with us, like back at the tower. Only this time, we're all pooling our resources together. Sorry if it's crowded in here._ Dani said.

 _This feels a lot different. I feel like none of my injuries happened._

 _That comes with the fusion, so we've found. I think it has to do with not having a physical form anymore, being inside one body._

 _None of that matters right this second, now, we face Demon Phantom. Let's get busy._ Danny said.

* * *

Demon Phantom, just seconds away from murdering the remaining members of the Ecto Corps, continued to charge the ectoplasmic energy in his hand. The Ecto Corps, not wanting to die, continued to beg for their lives, all to the amusement of Demon Phantom.

"Now, humans, take pleasure this day, now that you have been selected to be the first among my mortal victims of my glorious omnicide!" Demon Phantom said.

Just before Demon Phantom could fire his charged attack, however, a supercharged punch delivered by the combined half-ghosts landed straight to his face, knocking him back into a building. With the Ecto Corps temporarily saved, the numerous soldiers immediately ran for cover to avoid any damage from the coming fight.

Demon Phantom, upon recovering from the punch, climbed out from the rubble of the collapsed building on him, looking on to see his attacker. He was met with a new entity standing before him; someone he had never seen before, but who was familiar nonetheless. Although the being struck great resemblance to him, it also had its own feminine definitions, making its gender hard to determine, although it mostly laid on the masculine side. Disregarding the beings indentity, Demon Phantom was much more interested in the power of the being, as it was capable of knocking him into a building with ease.

"What the hell are you supposed to be? And how do you have so much power?" Demon Phantom said.

"We are the ones known as Danny Phantom, Danielle Phantom, and Vlad Plasmius. Together, we are the Phantom Fusion. We are your reckoning." The being said.

"The Phantom Fusion, huh? Very alliterative. However, I just single-handedly beat all the people who make you up. What makes you think that all of you as one can still beat me?"

"Fight us and find out."

Demon Phantom gave a smile at the Phantom Fusion's request, eager to see just how powerful their combined forces were.

"Okay, then, show me." The Demon said.

[Soundtrack Cue: Fear Factory - Archetype (Steve Tuschar Remix); Beginning from 0:38]

The Phantom Fusion rushed to deliver its first strike to Demon Phantom, meeting with his smug request, and exceeding his expectations with a series of punches thrown faster than the speed of light. Demon Phantom, barely even able to see the coming attack, found himself knocked back several feet into the air with the instant his reply ended.

Following its numerous and nearly invisible punches, the Phantom Fusion delivered a kick to Demon Phantom's stomach, nearly knocking all breath out of him. With the kick nearly decimating him in just a single blow, Demon Phantom realized that this new opponenet was no laughing matter, and he needed to take this fight more seriously.

Readjusting his attention back to the fight, Demon Phantom began to return the attack with a series of lighting-fast punches of his own, striking with all the power he could deliver. Despite the enormous power that Demon Phantom possessed, it was not nearly enough to retaliate against the Phantom Fusion. After sending numerous attacks straight for the Phantom Fusion, the Demon found himself in for disappointment as none of his attacks landed into his enemy, making his attempts pointless.

The Phantom Fusion, growing bored with their opponent, caught the Demon's next punch in their hand, gripping onto it tightly. Demon Phantom, unable to pull his hand back, fired a large ectoplasmic blast to the Phantom Fusion, managing to free himself from their grip. Opting for a ranged attack, Demon Phantom prepared himself to fire more ectoplasmic blasts.

His shots flowing in rapid succession, Demon Phantom fired numerous ectoplasmic blasts straight for the Phantom Fusion, hoping to destroy them. Even thought Demon Phantom fired off more than enough shots to destroy even the strongest of ghosts, the Phantom Fusion effortlessly knocked away all of his blasts, as if his shots were completely powerless.

Charging up his next shot with as much energy as he could muster into one single shot, Demon Phantom fired a massive ectoplasmic blast straight for the Phantom Fusion. Despite the charge being more than enough to wipe out the entire city, the Phantom Fusion caught the blast with their bare hands, bringing a look of shock to Demon Phantom.

The Phantom Fusion, still holding the ectoplasmic blast in their hands, threw the blast straight into the skies where it could not harm anyone on Earth. The blast, finally making contact with Venus, blew a large crater into the planet, making a flash that was just large enough to see to the trained eye.

Taking an idea from the skies, Demon Phantom selected his next move. Flying up to the Moon, Demon Phantom prepared a last-ditch effort to finish his opponent.

"Fine. If I can't rule the Earth, than none of you may have it!" Demon Phantom said.

Throwing a heavy-handed punch right to the Moon's surface, Demon Phantom sent the satellite of rock straight for the planet it stayed in orbit in for millenia, planning to destroy the Earth.

* * *

The Phantom Fusion, seeing the Moon grow closer and closer to the Earth, quickly realized his plan, and just as quickly realized that they needed to find a way to stop it.

 _No way... Is he insane?!_ Dani asked.

 _Obviously so. He'll never rule Earth if he destroys it._ Vlad said.

 _Maybe he doesn't care at this point. Either way, we need to stop it. What do we do?_ Danny asked.

 _Well, since we don't have a whole bunch of other ghosts willing to help us, we can't turn the Earth intangible like last time. What now?_ Dani asked.

 _Well, if you two would remember the last thing that tried to hit Earth, the meteor was made of Ectoranium, not allowing me to touch it. The Moon, last I checked, isn't made of Ectoranium. It should be much easier to turn than the Earth._ Vlad said.

 _'Easier'. Yeah, right._

 _Don't complain unless you've got a better idea. If we don't do something to stop the impact, the planet'll blow up._ Danny said.

 _Well, it might not necessarily blow up, but we need to move nonetheless, starting now._ Vlad said.

With all residents of the body agreeing on fast action, the Phantom Fusion flew straight towards the Moon, landing on its surface. Getting themselves on all fours, making as much contact with the Moon as possible, the Phantom Fusion began channeling all of their energy into the Moon, beginning to turn it intangible.

After several tense seconds of straining effort, the ground began to change, turning clear and transparent. The transparency began to spread around the Moon, turning the entire satellite intangible piece by piece.

As the Phantom Fusion continued to turn the Moon intangible, stakes began to raise higher and higher with the Moon slowly growing closer and closer to the Earth. With the Phantom Fusion's efforts finally paying off after a long period of effort, the Moon became intangible in just the right time, beginning to pass through the Earth.

Straining to hold on, the effort becoming far too taxing on the system, the Phantom Fusion began to break under the pressure, beginning to loosen their grip onto the Moon. Knowing that they could not afford to release the Moon, causing the destruction of the Earth, the Phantom Fusion continued to hold tightly onto the Moon, holding out until the Moon passed through the Earth.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

After several long minutes of strenuous effort, the Moon finally passed through the Earth, beginning to head on a course for the Sun. With the Earth finally safe, the Phantom Fusion released the Moon, allowing it to fly off on its course. Needing a break from their straining effort, the Phantom Fusion took a moment to relax. If they could breathe in space, they would have taken a very deep breath from the effort.

"Very cute." A voice said.

The Phantom Fusion turned to see the source of the voice, finding Demon Phantom standing before them. Not having enough time to react to the sudden appearance, the Phantom Fusion was immediately assaulted with numerous punches and kicks straight from Demon Phantom. With the moment of weakness for the system exploited, the Phantom Fusion found themselves nearly decimated in a fight that seemingly went in their favor not moments ago.

Finally, Demon Phantom took hold of the Phantom Fusion and began racing towards the Earth, aiming to use the gravitational force of Earth to finish off his opponent. Holding on tightly to the Phantom Fusion, Demon Phantom prepared to make impact with the ground, finally ending the fight.

"Today, Danny, Vlad, and Danielle, you all die, and you will all face Oblivion!" Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom prepared to release the Phantom Fusion, allowing the system to hit the ground and face Oblivion. The Phantom Fusion, not giving up in the fight, grabbed onto Demon Phantom, taking the evil ghost with them in taking the blow.

"If we face Oblivion, Demon, then we will face it together!" The Phantom Fusion said.

Demon Phantom, not wanting to be part of his own attack, found himself becoming extremely anxious, not having a way to free himself. Knowing that he was helpless in this situation, Demon Phantom, not having any other options in this fight, screamed, not ready to face his fate.

Finally, after blasting through the Earth's atmosphere with speeds uncharted to man, the two hit the ground, causing an impact so massive that it left a crater into the Earth itself. When the two beings finally came to, they both found themselves barely conscious and barely able to keep their eyes open.

The Phantom Fusion, barely having any energy left, fell apart back into their 3 original beings, leaving Danny, Dani, and Vlad laying on the ground, all weak and powerless. Demon Phantom, having suffered the blunt of his own attack, just barely managed to get himself back on his own feet. Back on his feet again, Demon Phantom began to make his way to Danny Phantom, preparing to finish him off once and for all.

" _Very clever, Danny, making me suffer from my own attack. However, you've still got a long ways to go before you stop me._ " Demon Phantom said.

Danny, barely able to move, just only managed to move his fingers, hoping to get himself on his feet again. However, Danny's best efforts were not good enough, as Demon Phantom prepared to fire an ectoplasmic blast straight to his face. Giving a smile, Demon Phantom prepared to finally finish off his archnemesis once and for all.

"Goodbye, Danny Phantom." Demon Phantom said.

Just before he could fire his shot, a small ectoplasmic blast landed directly into the back of Demon Phantom's head, injuring him just enough to take his mind off of the task at hand. Turning to the source of the stray ectoplasmic blast, Demon Phantom turned to face President Foley, holding a smoking ectoplasmic gun in his hand.

" _Semper fi_ , bitch. Or, whatever the Ecto Corps says." President Foley said.

Demon Phantom, slightly injured but not seriously harmed by the shot, gave an amused smile at President Foley's efforts. President Foley, not having another means of attack, dropped the gun and held his hands up, chuckling nervously.

"That probably only just made you mad, right?" President Foley asked.

Demon Phantom gave a chuckle, finding amusement in President Foley's state of nervousness.

"On the contrary, the mere sight of you preparing to wet yourself gives me a chuckle. For that, you get a quick death." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom prepared to fire an ectoplasmic blast straight for President Foley, aiming to disintegrate him completely. Danny Phantom, still not giving up, found the strength to carry on once more. Seeing the images of his family dying before his eyes, he slowly began to stand up once again, preparing to attack Demon Phantom once again.

Just before Demon Phantom could fire his shot at President Foley, Danny Phantom jumped straight at him, tackling his opponent to the ground. After being kicked off by the Demon, Danny quickly brought himself back on his feet again, ready to face the Demon for the last time.

"I won't let you harm any more of my friends, Demon. You've killed my entire family, stripped my powers away, and killed who knows many else. All the people I've let die because I let you live. No more. You're not going in a thermos. Not this time. Now, I'm going to send you straight to Oblivion." Danny said.

Flying straight to Demon Phantom with all the remaining power he could muster, Danny began to land numerous punches straight into his face, nearly knocking him unconscious from pure brute force alone. Continuing on his onslaught, Danny kept laying out numerous punches directly into the Demon's face, causing him to bleed out the nose and scream in pain at Danny's sudden burst of energy.

Danny, finishing his attack with a sharp punch to the Demon's gut, Demon Phantom began to lean down to the ground, barely able to stand up from his energy nearly depleted. With his enemy nearly dead, Danny powered up his final attack, ready to end Demon Phantom once and for all.

" _Please... No... Have mercy..._ " Demon Phantom said.

"Spare me. You know, Demon, I was always afraid that I'd become like you one day; evil, violent, no regard for human life. Now, after seeing what you're capable of, and, more importantly, what you've done, there's one thing that I feel more than comfortable knowing." Danny said.

" _And what is that?_ "

"I will never be like you. I'll never be Demon Phantom. From here on until the day I see Oblivion, I'll always be Danny Phantom, and I'll always be here to do good."

With all the energy charged up into his hands, Danny finally fired his last blow to Demon Phantom, assaulting his body with pure, raw ectoplasm, tearing away at every cell of his being. Demon Phantom, barely able to withstand the blast, began groaning with effort trying to withstand the blast.

Danny, not willing to let Demon Phantom survive, fed more energy into his blast, increasing the intensity of his attack. The Demon, not able to stand the attack for much longer, began to feel his body begin to break apart. Not ready to die so easily, Demon Phantom began walking towards Danny, hoping to land some form of counterattack. Danny, still not ready to give up, continued his attack.

Feeding the very last bit of energy in his body into his attack, Danny screamed with effort as he finally had his attack as powerful as it could go. Demon Phantom, no longer able to withstand the attack, began to break apart at the seams, feeling himself facing Oblivion at any moment.

Ending his afterlife with an echoing scream that seemed to last forever, Demon Phantom finally broke apart under Danny's attack, his body disintegrated and gone forever. With the final scream of the omnicidal maniac destroyed forever, Demon Phantom was sent straight to Oblivion by his good counterpart, ending his reign of terror forever.

Danny, exhausted from his vicious attack taking so much of his energy, fell to his knees, barely able to keep standing. Dani and Vlad, just barely overcoming their own tribulations, walked over to comfort Danny, all proud of him in his moment of victory.

"It's over. We did it." Danny said.

"No. _You_ did it. We just helped out." Dani said.

Danny gave a smile at Dani's comforting words, finally showing a positive emotion for once. Vlad, finally relieved of his past guilt, gave Danny a pat on the back, proud of his efforts.

"Of all my years, I never dreamed that a day like this would come. A day where I finally let my past desires go, work towards the good of the Earth, and, most importantly, stand alongside Danny Phantom as an ally." Vlad said.

"I guess you could get used to this superhero stuff, huh?" Dani asked.

"I'm probably a little over 60 with my years in space. I think that I'd better retire before I break something."

Despite the warm laugh the Dani and Vlad shared, Danny did not find himself as joyous in his own victory. Taking himself elsewhere, Danny began to walk away from his two teammates, needing a moment to himself.

"Danny? Hey, Danny, are you okay?" Dani asked.

Dani's pleas went unanswered, as Danny continued to walk away to find a place for himself. President Foley, proud of his best friend, rushed to congratulate him in his victory against Demon Phantom.

"Hey, dude, you did it! You won! Gimmie 5!" President Foley said.

President Foley held his hand up for a high-5, hoping to share the moment of victory with Danny, but he also went unanswered, as Danny continued to walk away. Vlad, Dani, and President Foley, not knowing what was becoming of Danny continued to follow him.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Dani asked.

Danny fell to his knees, holding himself in an effort of self-comfort, beginning to let out tears of sorrow.

"Don't you get it? It's over. So what if Demon Phantom's gone? My family's still dead. My mother, my father, my sister, my wife, my unborn child. They may be ghosts, but I can't connect with ghosts. Not like a living person." Danny said.

"But you've still got us. We're here for you." Dani said.

"It's not the same."

"It doesn't have to be. We can still make things work."

Danny thought carefully for a minute, contemplating his own future. Knowing that even visiting his now-undead family would never be the same as experiencing life with them; being with beings that no longer had need for food, sleep, touch, or any human needs, Danny thought of a way that he could be with them once again.

"Maybe you're right. We still can make things work. I want you to kill me." Danny said.

The group, not expecting Danny to give such a heavy request so suddenly, found themselves taken aback by his words, not wanting him to go so soon.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" President Foley asked.

"My family's dead. Being dead is the only way that I can really be with them again. Dani, you have my powers, you can protect the Earth just fine with Demon Phantom and most of the powerful ghosts gone. Vlad could train you while I'm gone. I don't have any obligation to stay here. I want to go." Danny said.

Dani ran to Danny and gripped him tightly, refusing to let him go so suddenly.

"No, no! No! NO! I refuse to let you go! You can stay with me! We could be like brother and sister, just the two of us! Think of everything we could-" Dani began to say.

Danny covered Dani's mouth, preventing her from finishing her emotional rant. Tears began to fall from Dani's eyes and onto Danny's hand, causing him to wipe away the tears.

"Dani. You really are a great friend, and I'd love to call you my sister. But my family is gone. If you had someone you loved, someone you loved more than anything, wouldn't you give everything you had just to be with them again?" Danny asked.

"...Of course I would." Dani said.

"Then let me go. Kill me so I can be with my family, with my wife again. Please. I want this. I need this."

Dani gave Danny one last, tight hug before letting him go, preparing an ectoplasmic blast to fire straight at her brother. Danny, before leaving, bid his last goodbyes to the group, preparing to depart.

"Well, what can I say, man? You wanna die. I'm probably not gonna see you again." President Foley said.

"You'll see me in the next life, a long time from now, I hope." Danny said.

"Well, I don't suppose you can possess my political opponents to drop out of the race so I can stay in office when you're a ghost, can I?"

"Tuck, you're in your second term. You won't get re-elected as president again."

"Yeah, I'm just kidding, although I might be in office longer than I'm supposed to since, you know, all my cabinet is dead. Maybe I'll just do some charity work after that, do some real good for once."

Danny and President Foley shared a friendly handshake and a hug, the two best friends saying their final goodbyes. After bidding his departure to his best friend, Danny turned his attention to Vlad, preparing to say goodbye to his once-archenemy.

Having nothing to say to his former foe, Danny simply extended his hand to Vlad, offering a handshake to the half-ghost. Vlad gladly accepted the handshake, giving a bittersweet smile to Danny, following with a pat on his shoulder.

"Tell your family I said hello, and take care of that wife of yours." Vlad said.

Danny gave Vlad a nod, making his promise. Ready to bring an end to it all, Danny kneeled in front of Dani, ready to accept her method of execution. Dani, not ready to let Danny go, had tears pouring from her eyes, completely in despair.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm going to a better place now. You just keep on going. If you could push me to go on farther, you can go places that I've never even been." Danny assured.

Dani, managing to hold back a few tears, took a gulp as she prepared to fire the ectoplasm straight to Danny, killing him and sending him to his family.

"I love you." Dani said.

"I love you too." Danny said.

Finally, giving the attack whatever willpower she could, Dani fired the blast.


	20. Chapter 19: Time After Time

**CHAPTER 19: TIME AFTER TIME**

After numerous agonizing hours of emotional turmoil and brutal combat, Danny Phantom had finally defeated his greatest enemy, Demon Phantom. Formerly known as Dark Danny, the evil specter made his return well-known throughout the Earth as he brought death to the entire populace of Amity Park, aiming to expand his wave of death to the entire Earth.

With Danny finally defeating the ultimate enemy that was formerly himself, he should have found some sort of peace in the defeat of Demon Phantom. However, as the Demon had taken away his family, killing each and every one, Danny was left without anything left to do in his life; no one to live for, and no one to fight against.

Wishing to join with his family again and ending his life, hoping to finally find rest. Dani, the one keeping him pushing on for the sake of the Earth, granted his request for death, albeit very reluctantly. Not wanting to lose the only person she truly considered family, Dani knew that euthanization was what he wanted and needed, and the Earth had no need for his services anymore.

Charging an ectoplasmic blast in her hand, Dani prepared to fulfill her brother's request for death, allowing him to end his suffering and reunite with his family yet again.

"I love you." Dani said.

"I love you too." Danny said.

Finally, giving the attack whatever willpower she could, Dani fired the blast. However, even though Danny closed his eyes to the blast, upon hearing it make its impact, he knew it did not hit him. Opening his eyes, Danny saw that the blast had only hit the ground next to him.

"Okay, you can come out now." Vlad said.

Before Danny could question what Vlad was talking about, another spirit began to fade into the scene, joining the group of 4 in the moment. Despite Danny being surprised at the appearance of the figure, the remaining 3 were expecting his arrival.

Beginning to take form once again, the identity of the newly-arrived ghost was instantly recognized by Danny, not expecting to see this particular figure again in his life.

"Clockwork?" Danny asked.

The omnipresent being known as Clockwork stood before Danny, his appearance changing at random between young and old in flux, never having a definitive form.

"Yes, Danny Phantom, it is me. I have been watching your work, and, I must say, you have all played your parts according to plan. For that, you have my congratulations." Clockwork said.

"What? 'Played our parts'? What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

"Allow me to explain, Danny."

Clockwork waved his staff into the air, materializing a small window in the air, giving a projection of a past event. The event shown in the window was the capture of Demon Phantom, back during his days known as Dark Danny.

As Clockwork placed the Fenton Thermos containing Dark Danny down, announcing his cunning trick against the Observants, Dark Danny began to bang against the walls of the thermos, attempting to escape.

"When I had first captured the abomination that was your evil half, I had an issue on disposing of the entity. I was able to safely collapse the alternate timeline which bred him, an easy task as many of its inhabitants were already dead. However, although his world was able to be safely deleted from the Multiverse, he could not be, as he was far too powerful to be collapsed within his own universe. With these factors in mind, I realized I needed to create a plan to eliminate him once and for all." Clockwork said.

Clockwork progressed the picture further, leading up to Danny Phantom's more famous exploits since the Phantom Planet event.

"You were the only being that had ever stood a chance against that creature, as it was born of you. Realizing that you were able to defeat him, I needed to create the specific circumstances in order to ensure your victory. It was no easy task, even for me. Out of the googolplexes of possibilities that would create the future that you would win, only one would ensure it, and I had to ensure that the events led up just right." Clockwork said.

Progressing the picture further, Clockwork revealed small instances of very subtle appearances throughout Danny's life, setting the course for the future. His many appearances included appearances during meals, during rest, during fights, and all other manners of appearances that no one would suspect.

"Every step of the way, I was with you, making sure that all would work up right to this moment. It was a plan 10 years in the making, all for this one moment." Clockwork said.

The picture progressed further to Dark Danny's escape, his seeming murder of Clockwork, and his rebirth as Demon Phantom.

"The moment came none too soon, as your evil half finally escaped his prison as I foresaw. With just the right dialogue and projections, I allowed Demon Phantom to believe that he was stronger than he thought he was, letting him believe that he sent me to Oblivion. Really, I cannot do so, as doing that would quite literally destroy time, a concept that even he could not comprehend." Clockwork said.

The picture progressed to Demon Phantom's slaughter of Danny's family, bringing a look of shock and pain to his face to relive once again.

"I truly am sorry that the plan required the death of your family, Danny, I really am, but it was the only way that I could guarantee my plans would work." Clockwork said.

Danny, not prepared to accept such a large dose of information so quickly, began to breathe heavily to keep up with the sudden bombardment of revelations. Upon realizing the full implications of Clockwork's words, Danny began to find himself growing vengeful towards what he thought was a good ally.

"Are... Are you saying... You allowed my family to die?" Danny asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Clockwork said.

Danny, his vengeance returning and exacting onto the immortal master of time, immediately fired an ectoplasmic beam straight at Clockwork, aiming to disintegrate him in an instant. As the smoke cleared, Clockwork revealed himself to be standing directly behind Danny, undead and well as he could be.

"I would tell you not to waste your energy, but I know that will have no effect. All I can do is ask that you listen to me." Clockwork said.

"LISTEN TO YOU?! WHY THE HELL SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?! YOU LET MY WHOLE FAMILY DIE! EXACTLY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN OFFER ME THAT WILL TAKE THAT AWAY?!" Danny screamed.

"I can bring you back your family and your old life, in a way that does not involve you dying unnecessarily."

Danny began to ponder Clockwork's offer, curious about the full details of such an unbelievable offering. Despite thinking it over, his skepticism began to take the better of him.

"Yeah, right. Exactly how do you plan to do that? Can you raise the dead?" Danny asked.

"No, that is beyond my abilities. What I can offer you is something that many people pine for, something that almost everyone on this Earth would die for." Clockwork said.

"Skip the mysticism. What's the offer?"

"A second chance. I can start your life all over again, back to a time before you became Danny Phantom, before the world knew the threat of the undead."

Clockwork turned the picture to show the origin of Danny Phantom, showing the fateful day he stepped inside the Ghost Portal and mutated into the half-dead hero that he was known as today.

"Ever since you had become Danny Phantom, you had known only hardship and tribulation, pain and misery, loss and sorrow. I can grant you a normal life. I can turn the clock back, back before all these things had become of you." Clockwork said.

Danny began to further contemplate the offer, but again growing skeptical of the offer, of all its repercussions.

"If you could turn back the clock all this time, why didn't you just turn back to where Demon Phantom never existed?" Danny asked.

"He had begun to exist outside of time, where I could no longer effect him. Even if I had begun the universe from the beginning all over again, he would still exist. This was the only way to ensure that he would never threaten the Earth again. That being said, there is one more detail to my offer." Clockwork said.

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

"You can never become Danny Phantom again. As long as you are Danny Phantom, there still exists the possibility that Demon Phantom will return. With the googolplexes upon googolplexes of possibilities that come with your life, there will always be one scenario, one alternate solution, that will result in his creation. For that purpose, you must remain normal."

Danny paused again to think over Clockwork's offer, unsure of whether he was willing to give up his life as Danny Phantom to be with his family again, and not knowing how it would affect others around him.

"Let's say for a minute that I took your offer. What happens to Dani, Tucker, and Vlad?" Danny asked.

"Tucker Foley and Vlad Masters, as they exist in your time, will have no memory of this timeline, as it will never have happened for them. Unfortunately, Dani Phantom will no longer exist. She only exists because you had become Danny Phantom, and, without that genetic template, she can never be created." Clockwork said.

"Then no way. I can't do that to-"

"I want you to do it, Danny." Dani said.

Danny, not expecting the sudden reply from his sister, looked to her in surprise from her response.

"Wait, what?" Danny asked.

"Danny, I don't want to go, but you deserve this. You have a family of people who love you, and a future for yourself. I would've loved to be part of that future, but I can't. No matter how much I want to be part of it, I can't. I'm just a copy of you. Even if I've lived a completely different life than you, that doesn't change what I am. At least this way, I get some sort of closure in my life. Please. Take it." Dani said.

"We've all thought about it. Your mother's the one who told me about this plan, and I had to make sure to follow her instructions as carefully as possible to ensure this would happen. Dani, Tucker, and I all thought it over. We're well prepared for the consequences." Vlad said.

Danny began to contemplate further, thinking over other consequences of his decision.

"Even if I took it, that still leaves you a loose end. You might be on my side now, but, since you haven't experienced what you have here, you'll be an enemy in my future. Since I won't be Danny Phantom, I can't stop you. What do I do then?" Danny asked.

"You have my permission to kill me." Vlad said.

"Kill you?"

"I've led a selfish life and stepped on the backs of millions to obtain my wealth, and millions more to obtain more of my own goals. If I could kill my past self, I would. You have my blessing."

"How would I even kill you?"

"Ectoplasmic pistol. One to the heart, one to the head. I'd be dead instantly. Back then, I should have plenty of prototypes laying around. Any will work."

Still not convinced on his final decision, Danny turned to President Foley for his opinion on the matter.

"What about you? You won't be president, or even mayor of Amity Park. Are you cool with that?" Danny asked.

"Man, I've pissed away most of my political career on stupid decisions based on my own desires for women. If making you happy means that I just get to stay a techno-geek for the rest of my life, I'm okay with that." President Foley said.

Danny and President Foley shared a friendly handshake, with the two coming to a friendly hug, the two saying goodbye.

"Besides, I did some stupid stuff that I'd rather not have happened. Guess I get a second chance too." President Foley joked.

Danny and President Foley shared a small laugh, making light of the departure in the best way they could. With his goodbyes bid to his best friend, Danny turned to Vlad next.

"I don't suppose you want to re-do just a simple handshake this time?" Vlad asked.

"I just wanna say... I wish I could make things end better for you. I didn't get how you spent so many years going after my mom like that, but, having Sam die, I think I get it. When you really start to go for someone for so long, not being able to have them, it can really start to get to you. You go crazy. Maybe you've finally gotten over her, but, I think, after all this time, I finally understand you." Danny said.

Vlad, feeling slightly relieved from Danny's words, gave a deep sigh.

"Just don't miss when you shoot." Vlad said.

Danny, keeping his promise to Vlad, gave a nod. As he turned to Dani, before he could even let out a word, Dani immediately jumped on him, hugging him tightly. Danny, comforting his sister as best as he could.

"I'll find a way to bring you back, I promise." Danny said.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Danny." Dani said.

"But those are the best kids of promises."

Dani hugged tighter onto Danny, preparing to let him go, and face her own end. Danny, finally free of Dani's tight hug, approached Clockwork to talk about his offer.

"Okay. I'll take the offer." Danny said.

"Are you sure? You do seem very divided about this decision." Clockwork asked.

Danny took one last look to his friends, as if seeking their approval again. The group, all wishing the best for Danny, nodded their heads, ready to accept their own fate.

"I'm sure. Turn it back." Danny said.

"As you wish. Time is as it should be." Clockwork said.

As Clockwork raised his staff, the universe around the two began to fade into a whiteout, erasing the timeline forever. Just before the universe erased, Vlad took one last look to Dani, seeking to give his last words to the clone.

"Dani, for all intents and purposes, I'm truly sorry for everything. I wish I was a better man back then, not wasting my life-" Vlad began to say.

"The world's ending, Vlad. Shut up and hug me." Dani said.

Vlad and Dani shared a tight hug, closing their eyes to the apocalyptic erasure of the universe around them. Sharing the only form of a moment between father and daughter that could be shared, the two found some sort of peace in their erasure.

Finally, with an expansion of light, the universe was gone. Time has now stood still.

* * *

Inside this void black of space, or, lack thereof, Danny found himself floating in the timeless, formless void, lost and confused. Not knowing what would come next, standing naked and afraid within the void, Danny found himself in a state of anxiety.

He was unable to breathe, but he didn't choke. He could hear nothing, but he wasn't deaf. He found himself naked in the void, but didn't feel unprotected.

Not prepared for the next step, Danny found himself in a more bizarre state than being in the formless void.

Finding himself back face-to-face with Clockwork, time moved not forwards, but backwards. Moving as if he was being rewound in a videotape, all his past events began moving backwards to the very beginning.

Starting from Clockwork's offer, moving to the final battle with Demon Phantom, to battling SkullTech, to jumping into the Ghost Portal, to all preceding events that came before, and before, and before.

As he moved backwards in the many events of his life, the speed of time seemed to move faster and faster, moving from a simple 'rewind' feel as if someone had furthered the speed. As time began to move faster and faster, Danny found himself objectively stuck as time began to move faster, as if he were on a ride he could not get himself off of.

Not able to withstand the blinding speeds of time moving backwards on him, unable to move or control the journey that he was embarking on, Danny found himself without any option in this journey but to scream. As the journey began to further and further increase in speed, Danny found his mind beginning to break under the pressure of the speed, barely able to comprehend the experience he was in.

* * *

Finally, the journey Danny found himself came to a sudden stop, just barely giving him a chance to catch his breath. Needing a moment to rest from the intense experience, Danny closed his eyes, breathing heavily to recuperate from the journey.

After taking a moment to breathe, Danny finally opened his eyes again, finding himself back inside the Ghost Portal as he first stepped inside it 10 years ago. As he took a moment to observe his surroundings, trying to grip onto his sanity once again, he took notice of the 'on-off' switch of the Ghost Portal that he hit by accident in this very moment, finding himself tempted to touch it again.

Beginning to believe that perhaps that he could turn things for the better with a second chance, Danny believed that he could perhaps find a way to be better than he was before, to have a future that held the best of the original timeline and his new timeline, to be a Superior Danny Phantom.

As he began to contemplate touching the button, he began to see flashes of his family dying at the hands of Demon Phantom yet again, feeling the impact of each and every death sinking into his heart. Unable to keep thinking of the horrifying sight of his family dying at the hands of Demon Phantom, Danny began to find himself growing more and more anxious at the idea of pressing the button again.

Finally, Danny took his hand away from the button, retracting from it as if it was a venomous snake about to bite him. Heeding Clockwork's words, remembering that being Danny Phantom meant the possibility of Demon Phantom existing again, Danny knew that he could never once again embark on his adventures as Danny Phantom again.

"...No. I can't live that. Not again." Danny said.

Out of the blue, an all-too familiar voice came calling into the portal, calling forth his name.

"Well, Danny, what do you see?" Sam called.

Immediately recognizing the voice as Sam Manson, Danny immediately started to rush out of the portal. Upon exiting the portal, Danny found himself elated to see Sam once again; alive, young, and unharmed.

"Sam! You're okay! Everything's back to normal!" Danny shouted.

Not understanding Danny's sudden outburst of happiness, Sam found herself confused at Danny's words.

"Uh, yeah, Danny. I'm fine, everything's just fine. Now, what about the port-" Sam began to say.

Before Sam could finish her question, Danny began kissing her passionately out of pure ecstacy. Sam, not expecting Danny to do such a thing, found herself in a strange emotional state of complete shock and some enjoyment, not knowing which emotion to take front.

Finally, needed a moment to process what Danny was doing, Sam broke off the kiss, trying to make since of what happened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what was _that_?! I'm your friend, not your wife!" Sam yelled.

"Sam, sorry for getting ahead of myself, but I like you, and I know you like me, and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to say anything, but I wanna make something of this. I know we're good together.

Sam, not prepared for Danny's sudden outburst of romantic feelings, began to blush at the sudden revelation, feeling flustered and nervous.

"I mean, I like you, but I... Well, I... I kinda..." Sam tried to say.

"I 'like you' like you too, Sam. I always have, and I know you like me too. I'm sorry that I didn't see it sooner. But I'm ready now. Wanna give it a chance?" Danny asked.

After getting over the initial surprise of Danny's romantic offer, Sam finally gave a smile. Even though Sam never expected such a sudden and blunt approach, she had been waiting a while for this moment. Accepting Danny's offer, the two shared a hug and began to kiss again.

Meanwhile, watching the sudden event on the sidelines, Tucker found himself so helplessly confused at the situation. Not moments ago, his best friend was about to explore an abandoned piece of experimental technology meant for exploring the very concept of the afterlife itself. Now, his best friend was making out with his second best friend after a sudden outburst of emotional confession with no prior buildup.

" _WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!_ " Tucker yelled.

"Something wrong, Tucker?" Danny asked.

"But- You just- We just- I thought we- The portal- ...Oh, forget it. You're so weird." Tucker said.

"Whatever you say, Mr. President. How about we blow this ghost crap and go to the arcade?" Danny asked.

"That sounds pretty nice." Sam said.

" _What's going on down there?!_ " Jack called.

Rushing down the stairs, holding an experimental ectoplamic weapon in hand, Jack Fenton rushed down to the basement to aid the source of the scream, with Maddie and Jazz Fenton at his sides.

"We heard a yell, is everything okay?" Maddie asked.

Elated to see his family alive and well once again, Danny rushed to his family, immediately joining them all in a tight group hug.

"Mom! Dad! Jazz!" Danny said.

None of Danny's family knowing the context of his sudden happiness at their arrival, the family found themselves all just as confuesed at Danny's actions.

"Whoa, Danny, you're acting like you haven't seen us for a long time, we've only been gone a few hours!" Jazz protested.

"Yeah, Danny, we just walked in the door. Was it really that long?" Maddie asked.

"It's felt like a lot longer than that. I've missed you all so much." Danny replied.

The older Fentons shrugged their confusion and shared their hug with Danny, believing his need was more important that their questions. Danny, happy to have his family alive and well again, felt happier than he ever believed he would be.

Sam, meaning to mock Danny, pulled out her camera and took a picture of the group hug, snickering at the group.

"Oh, this truly is a Kodak moment." Sam said.

Sam took out the picture and chuckled at it, finding amusement in Danny's seeming childlike actions. Danny, finding the moment to be warmer than the group would imagine, looked at the picture happily, wanting to remember the moment.

"It sure is, Sam. It sure is." Danny said.

"Uh, hey, if you're done with your weird mushy stuff, did I hear something about an arcade?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, sorry, let's get going."

Danny, Sam, and Tucker prepared to make their way down to the arcade, hoping to spend time at the arcade together as friends. Danny, wanting to keep the picture, carefully took it from Sam.

"Mind if I keep this?" Danny asked.

"Well, if it really means that much to you, sure." Sam said.

Danny placed the picture in his pocket, holding his arm around Sam once he placed the picture away. Sam, happy to have her best friend finally treating her like something more, placed her own arm around him.

"So, what took you so long to say it? Did you have some kind of near-death experience in that portal?" Sam asked.

"Well... I guess you could say that." Danny said.

"Yeah? What happened?"

"Let me put it this way, I think I just thought of an idea for the greatest comic book ever."

3 YEARS LATER

At the learning institute known as Casper High School, where many students would normally sit around, doing whatever kids of many varieties would do between classes, a large and much-anticipated event took place this day.

After 3 long years of hard work, Danny Fenton's successful comic book ' _Danny Phantom: The Living Ghost_ ' has become a smash hit not just among all the students of Casper High, but has become one of the most top-selling comics, beating out Rudy Tabootie's _Vampire Cannibals of Piscataway, New Jersey_ and Bill Buck's long-running _Ace Savvy_ series. Now, on the 3rd year of its run, Danny has released the 3rd annual of his series, a giant-size issue named ' _Reality Trip_ ' an adaptation of his own experiences against Freakshow during his own days as Danny Phantom.

Today, with the annual making its official release, Danny Fenton, joined by his girlfriend and artist for the series, Sam Manson; and his best friend and publishing agent, Tucker Foley. As Danny and Sam gave out continuous autographs to the many students and non-students walking up to meet Danny and Sam, Tucker found himself busy on the phone, trying to arrange more conventions for the three to join.

"How much for a booth? $3,500?! You are not the president, you don't need to be making that kind of money. Hey, man, this is Danny Fenton we're talkin' here, the man's the next Chris Claremont. You don't want him, you can make do with your own crappy writers there. 'Does $1,500 sound better'? Well, now, that does sound a little more reasonable, but let's not forget about the kids, we'll also be needing some areas for photo opportunities..." Tucker continued.

As Tucker continued his negotiations with the comic convention, Danny and Sam found themselves laughing at his antics.

"You'd think he's the Jewish one, how tight he is with money." Sam joked.

"At least he keeps things moving." Danny said.

"Hey, Fenturd!" A familiar voice said.

Danny and Sam turned to face Dash Baxter, the head football champion of the school and its most notorious bully. As Danny found himself growing nervous at what Dash could want, Dash revealed his intentions by pulling out a hardcover omnibus of _Danny Phantom_ , eagerly awaiting an autograph.

"Would you please sign my special edition omnibus?" Dash asked.

Danny looked at Dash in disbelief, not knowing he was ever a fan of his comic.

"Wait... _You_ like the comic?" Danny asked.

"Hell, yeah! I didn't know you had it in ya, Fenton. Sign on the front, will ya?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely..."

Danny signed the front of the omnibus, obliging with his request. As Danny finished signing the front, Dash opened the omnibus to the first issue, showing the front cover of the issue. The cover of the issue depicted Danny inside of the portal, the ectoplasm surging through him, turning him into the half-dead hero that he once was.

"And here too." Dash said.

As Danny looked at the beginning of the issue to sign it, he began to find a sense of nostalgia, not of creating the first issue, but of the days that he was known as Danny Phantom. Wishing to go back to the days that he was defend of the Earth, Danny began to think about the portal again, thinking about stepping back into the portal.

"Hey, Fenton, you alright?" Dash asked.

Danny quickly snapped out of his trance, putting his attention back to the comic. Signing the front cover, Danny handed the omnibus back to Dash, giving him an excited sense of accomplishment.

"Sweet! Fenton, you and your buddies are officially on the party list. Just make sure you bring your own booze." Dash said.

"Yeah, great. Thanks." Danny said.

As Dash excitedly walked away with his autographed comic, Sam took notice of Danny's strange trance, looking for the source of his distress.

"Hey, Danny, what was that about?" Sam asked.

"Uh, nothing, Sam. I'm fine." Danny said.

Danny turned his attention back to his fans, continuing to greet the hordes of comic fanatics and filling out many autographs.


	21. Chapter 20: Days of Future Past

**CHAPTER 20: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST**

Somewhere between the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle, or G.A.V. for short, holding the aforementioned Fenton Family within, made its way to the estate of Vlad Masters, the drivers aiming to meet with the millionaire after years of separation. The parents, or, more specifically Jack Fenton, found himself all too eager to meet with his old college friend. Maddie, while looking forward to the reunion, found some slight discomfort, not wanting to be advanced upon by the millionaire again. Jazz Fenton, being 19 years old and a freshman in college, could not make the trip, too busy with her own life.

Danny, however, found himself in extreme discomfort at the trip. 3 years ago (or, 7 years from now, depending on how you want to count it), he made a promise to that same man to take his life. Without the trials and tribulations of Carcerem and the death of Maddie to push him to find his zeal for good, Vlad still remained a threat to the world, and perhaps even the universe if left unchecked. While he may have remained quiet for the past 3 years, this mission would not prove any easier for Danny.

Jack, taking notice of his son's visible anxiety, tried to comfort him to the best of his ability. Giving his son a hearty pat on the back, Jack Fenton tried to find the source of Danny's troubles.

"What's the matter, buddy? Nervous about something?" Jack asked.

"Uh, sorry, dad. I've just got a lot on my mind. The comic needs a new issue, I need an idea, the deadline's soon, just work stuff." Danny said.

"Yeah, I know that feeling. I hate that your mother and I had to give up our ghost hunting and get real jobs. I gotta tell you, working for a food company's a lot more boring than I thought it'd be. You'd think a big business like a food company'd give out some free food, but nope. I've been trying to come up with something for the suggestions box and win some extra dough for a new food invention, but they don't like anything I've come up with yet."

"Did you suggest fudge pancakes?"

"I didn't make any-"

Upon thinking over Danny's suggestion, Jack felt as if he had a genius revelation come over him, beginning to make him feel elated at the idea. His attention turned to his new business venture, Jack quickly lost track of the conversation in favor of his new food invention.

"Fudge pancakes?! Danny boy, you're a genius! I'm gonna turn in that suggestion first thing in the morning!" Jack said.

"Yeah, great, dad." Danny said.

 _Hope I didn't affect the timeline by introducing that way earlier than it was supposed to be._ Danny thought.

As Jack kept thinking over his new million-dollar food idea, Danny's thoughts returned to his mission: To kill Vlad Masters. Still unsure whether he could meet the demands made of him or not, Danny continued to find himself in a state of anxiety, not sure if he was capable of taking on Vlad without his powers.

* * *

When the G.A.V. finally arrived in the driveway of the mansion of Vlad Masters, Danny had found himself at the point of no return. The Fentons stepped out of the vehicle, preparing to head inside and meet their old friend. With a ring of the doorbell, Danny had finally faced the moment of truth.

After seconds of anticipation that seemed to last several minutes, the door finally opened, showing the one and only Vlad Masters standing in the doorway. Jack Fenton, all too eager to see his old friend once again, greeted Vlad with a rough, friendly hug.

"Vlad-man! How've you been, old buddy?" Jack asked.

Vlad, not prepared for a sudden and rough greeting from Jack, took a moment to recuperate from his hug before replying.

"Whoa, there, old friend, I've been just fine. I'm trying to keep it that way." Vlad said.

"Right. Sorry about that." Jack said.

"All good, Jack. How've you been?"

"Oh, been doing just fine, Vladdie. Me and the wifey got some new jobs, finally gave up all that ghost-hunting crap we did in our college years, been living the normal life."

"Well, good to see you've been taking care of yourselves. I heard that you and Maddie had some kids, but I'm only seeing one. The other couldn't make it?"

"Yeah, Jazz's all grown up and went to college, bless her heart. However, Danny here took some time off his busy schedule to come along."

Jack brought Danny forth to Vlad, formally introducing the two. Danny, not ready to face Vlad before bringing him his death, found himself growing extemely nervous, beginning to sweat heavily.

"This here is Danny, the little writing prodigy. He created a comic book about a half-ghost superhero and he's making more money than either of us. Danny, meet Vlad Masters. I wanted you to meet him around our 20th college reunion, but I got too bogged down with work to make it." Jack said.

"Oh, that's right, _Danny Phantom_ , was it?" Vlad asked.

"Uh, heh-heh, yeah. That's it." Danny said.

"I've heard of it, really big among the kids these days. You must be hitting the big leagues in comics, huh?"

"A- Actually, uh, it's just for college. I really always wanted to be an astronaut."

"An astronaut, huh? Just like every kid dreamed of. Nice to meet you, Danny."

Vlad extended his hand for a handshake, making Danny even more nervous at the idea of giving his soon-to-be victim a formal greeting.

"Well, Danny, don't leave the man hanging, shake his hand." Jack said.

Danny quickly and nervously shook Vlad's hand aiming to get the experience over as fast as he could. Vlad, taking in a bit of confusion from his reaction, also took notice of the large amount of sweat collected from Danny's palm, wiping it off on a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.

"Your palms are quite sweaty, Danny. It's not too hot here, is it?" Vlad asked.

"Uh, no, not at all. I just... The A/C's broken in our car." Danny said.

"Really? Huh. Could've sworn that thing was working fine. Guess I'll have to look at that later." Jack though aloud.

"Uh, boys, as much as I'm enjoying the conversations going on here, could we please step inside now?" Maddie asked.

"But, of course, Maddie, I'd only be to happy to welcome you all in my home." Vlad said.

Vlad opened the door further, making a proper entry for his guests. Danny, still extremely uncomfortable from what he had to do now, had to think over how he was going to get away with killing Vlad Masters with his parents present.

* * *

After hours of pleasant conversations hearty laughs, nostalgic trips, and half a bottle of expensive wine, Vlad, Jack, and Maddie found themselves all having a splendid time together as old friends again, each of them forgetting about their troubles of their own lives and enjoying the moment together. To those unaware of Vlad's true nature, one would never suspect such a man was incapable of evil, or greed.

Danny, seeing the interactions between his family and Vlad, found himself growing skeptical of his mission. While he had made his promise to Vlad to kill him before he could do evil, there seemed to be nothing evil about this new Vlad, as if things were different in this new time. With this new Vlad tearing at his conscience and mind, Danny found himself wondering if he was even able to go through with his own promise.

"I'm still surprised that your job never let you come 3 years ago. I mean, the 20th reunion was a big thing, everyone showed up and asked where you were." Vlad asked.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's what you get for working for a soulless corporation instead of pursuing what you love. But, I guess we all gotta grow up sometimes." Jack said.

"Well, you know, you 2 were always the best minds in the field, besides yours truly, of course. I could always use 2 more geniuses in my R&D department. We'd all make one hell of a team."

"Oh, Vlad, you're such a kind man, but we're not ones to take charity." Maddie said.

"Oh, come now, Maddie, this isn't charity, it's just friends helping each other. You want to chase after ghosts, I want to chase after ghosts, we can all do it together, and we all get paid for it."

"As much as we'd love to do that, Vlad, we've still got the boy to take care of. He's gonna go to college soon, and-" Jack began to say.

"Well, you know, I do offer my employees financial assistance for their families. I could help you get Danny here a scholarship."

The Fentons began to find themselves tempted by Vlad's offer for Danny's sake, but Danny, not wanting to take from the man he was about to kill, declined the offer.

"That's really nice of you, Mr. Masters, but I prefer to make it my own way." Danny said.

"Danny, you really shouldn't-" Maddie began to say.

"Hold on, now, Maddie, he's a grown man, he can make his own decisions, let him speak." Vlad said.

"Well... I just always found myself relying on my friends a lot of the time for when I needed to do what I needed to do. I just want to use my own talents to do what I need. I want to earn what I get." Danny said.

"I respect that. That's very much the same attitude I had when making my own fortune. Just know that, for you and your parents, my offer still and always will stand." Vlad said.

Vlad set his glass of wine down, getting up from his seat and dusting his suit off.

"Danny, if I may, can I just show you one thing before you make your decision? I think you may find it useful on your comic book." Vlad asked.

"Uh, I don't really know-" Danny began to say.

"Come on, Danny, go have a little man-talk together. We'll wait here." Jack said.

"Yeah, go ahead and see what Vlad wants to show you." Maddie said.

"Uh... Okay... I guess..." Danny said.

Not ready to go through with his promise, Danny began following Vlad, unsure of what he could want to show him. After leaving the foyer, the two came to a brick wall with a painting of Vlad himself on it. Turning the painting back, Vlad pressed a button behind it, opening a door to a secret area.

Recognizing this as the secret lair of Vlad Plasmius, Danny began to find himself growing even more and more nervous, not knowing what factor in the timeline caused this event, and worse yet, what happens next.

As the two headed further down into the lair, past several experimental weapons and prototypes, all brand-new and unscathed unlike his previous trip 3 years ago/7 years from now, the two finally came to a stop. Danny, not knowing what to do, took notice of an ectoplasmic handgun on the table. Vlad, acting nonchalant, pretended as if this was a normal occurrence for his guests.

"Well, what do you think?" Vlad asked.

Danny, trying to play dumb, pretended not to know what was going on or where he was.

"Uh... What is this place?" Danny asked.

"It's a little lab of mine where I work on projects for my work. I thought you might appreciate some of what this is, seeing as your comic is all about fighting the undead. This... This is all that, but real." Vlad said.

"So... I inspired this?"

"Come, now, Danny, I've been in this field for years. I've been working on this probably far long before you were born. For a decade now, I've been working on..."

As Vlad turned his back to continue his monologue, Danny decided to take the ectoplasmic pistol and aimed it straight at Vlad, preparing to pull the trigger. Just before he could do so, Vlad turned back to Danny, looking surprised at the unexpected sight, immediately raising his arms.

"Danny... What are you doing with that?" Vlad asked.

"I'm sorry, Vlad." Danny said.

"Sorry for what? What are you doing? Danny?"

"I'm sorry."

"Danny, please! Think about what you're doing! Why do you want to kill me?"

"I made a promise."

"A promise to who? What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Just before Danny could find himself buckling under pressure, he finally pulled the trigger.

Much to his surprise, upon pulling the trigger, nothing happened. The gun was inactive. Before Danny could question what was wrong, Vlad lowered his arms, giving a smile.

"Thank you, Danny." Vlad said.

"What?" Danny asked.

"You kept my promise."

Danny, not expecting Vlad to remember the erased timeline, found himself surprised at the revelation that occured.

"Wait... You remember?" Danny said.

"I do. I remember it all." Vlad said.

"But... How? That wasn't part of the deal!"

"I don't know how it happened, but, somehow, when Clockwork turned back time, I could feel myself unaffected by his erasure, feeling myself stuck outside of time. Somehow, I made my way back to when you did, maybe because you were some kind of beacon to that time."

"So, what happens now?"

"Well, since I'm still the same Vlad you remember, I suppose you don't have to kill me anymore. Why don't you set the gun down?"

Danny, looking back down at the gun, carefully set it down back on the table.

"That's better. Now, for what I really wanted to show you." Vlad said.

Vlad pulled the tarp off of a prototype sitting in the corner of the room, revealing a Ghost Portal.

"Since it hasn't been deteriorating for 10 years, it should work just fine now." Vlad said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Danny asked.

"What do you think? To give you your powers back. Come step inside and I'll fire it up."

"What?! Are you crazy?!"

"Come on, you want to be Danny Phantom again, don't you?"

"I can't! You remember the deal I made with Clockwork."

"Last I checked, Clockwork's not here. Besides, he reasoned that as long as Danny Phantom exists, there exists the possibility of Demon Phantom existing. But what if you didn't have to go against ghosts alone? What if you had a teammate?"

"What are you saying?"

"Danny, I've just gotten a second chance at life. I'm not about to waste it making the same old mistakes. I want to do good this time. You and I can do that together. We can be the defenders of the Earth against the undead. With us together, Demon Phantom could never exist again."

Danny thought carefully on Vlad's offer, wanting to take his offer to become Danny Phantom once again. Still, as much as he desired his old life back, he knew that doing so left the possibility of Demon Phantom existing, despite how much he would fight off that possibility, and that his family could still die, along with the others that once did.

Refusing to relive that again, Danny once again turned down Vlad's offer.

"I'm sorry, Vlad, but I can't. I just can't. I watched my whole family die. I can't do that again. Demon Phantom is still a possibility I can't allow to exist. Not just for the sake of my family, but for the thousands that he murdered. I could be sentencing all those people to death all over again. I can't do that for my own personal gain. That's not what a hero would do." Danny said.

"But what if he does come back regardless of your decisions? The world might still need a hero." Vlad said.

"No, Vlad. I'm done being the hero. You can be the hero. I'm just Danny Fenton. I'm Danny Phantom... no more. No more."

Vlad, understanding Danny's reasoning, gave a melancholy nod. Accepting Danny's final answer, Vlad backed off on his offer.

"Alright. Just know that if we ever need you, my offer still stands, and so will this portal." Vlad said.

"I have my own portal, and I'll never use it again." Danny said.

"I understand. Well, then, how about you head back up with your parents? I'll be right with you."

At Vlad's request, Danny proceeded to head back up to the foyer, meeting back with his parents. Vlad stayed behind for a short while, awaiting something else.

"He won't do it. Where does that leave us now?" Vlad asked.

A figure began to fade into the real world, making his presence known to Vlad Masters. This figure was none other than Clockwork, who was watching the conversation the entire time, observing carefully as he planned.

"Do not worry, Vlad. He will accept in due time. Time is as it should be." Clockwork said.

"I still don't think he'll be particularly happy when he finds out what you're really up to, and why you sent me back." Vlad said.

"When that time comes, it will not matter. My plan will have succeeded. Not even the Observants can stop me now. Just be ready when the time comes."

* * *

After a long drive home, Danny sat on the edge of the roof of the Fenton Works building, seeking a quiet spot to himself. With his parents taking up regular jobs and no longer pursuing ghost hunting, the command center has been left neglected and untouched, making the place a favorite spot of Danny Fenton for times of contemplation.

Memories of Vlad's offer to become Danny Phatom once again bouncing through his head, Vlad's words echoing with a haunting tone, the idea continued to bounce around inside his subconscious, like an itch begging to be scratched. As much as he hated taking Clockwork's deal, as much as he tried to rationalize his desperate thinking, none of it was enough to strike his concerns from his mind. His promise to kill Vlad no longer a concern, his promise to bring back Dani still taunted his mind, still trying to find a way to do so.

As Danny continued his inner struggle of guilt and confusion, trying to find a form of peace in his mind, unnoticed to him was Sam Manson, approaching from behind. As the spot was popular for Danny to spend his time alone, it became a popular spot for the both of them for more personal reasons.

"Hey, Danny boy, I got the art for the next issue done. You wanna get started on the next issue, or, since we're both up here and alone, should I just take this off now?" Sam asked.

As Danny was far too preoccupied to answer Sam's question, her requests went unnoticed to the troubled boy. Still caught in the focus of the dark future that never was and the seemingly bright future ahead, Danny found himself still unfocused on his surroundings.

"Danny? Something wrong? Sam asked.

Again, with Danny still too preoccupied in his own thoughts, Sam's words went unnoticed to her boyfriend. Seeking a more perverted solution to catch his attention, Sam discreetly snuck up to him and whispered a silent ' _boo_ ' in his ear, giving Danny an unprecedented startle, nearly causing him to fall off the roof. Sam, not expecting Danny to react so frightened at her tease, began to laugh hysterically at his reaction.

"What was that?! You looked so freaked!" Sam laughed.

"I wasn't scared, I was... Okay, okay, you did kind of scare me. I admit it." Danny said.

Despite Sam's extremely amused reaction to Danny's sudden act of fright, Danny was not as amused as Sam was, instead turning back to the view of the street. As Sam took notice of Danny's ignorance of her antic, her reaction turned from amused to concerned, believing she'd hurt his feelings.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Sam began to say.

"No, no, it's not you, I just... I had some bad thoughts." Danny said.

"'Bad thoughts'? You're not... You're not thinking about jumping, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I just... I'm just wondering.

"Wondering what?"

"Wondering... Wondering about the future. What happens after high school."

"Well, that's something all of us have to face sometime. I think you and me can make something really good come if you want it to."

"I know, the comic's coming along just fine, our college funds are getting pretty full compared to most kids our age, I think we'll be okay."

Sam took Danny's hand in hers, gaining his attention.

"I wasn't talking about the comic. I was talking about... _this_." Sam said.

Looking back at Sam again, his concerns for the future soon began to sweep themselves away, looking forward to a normal future with Sam and his family safe, away from any harm brought by ghosts.

"There's nothing I'd love more than that." Danny said.

Happy together in the moment, Danny and Sam shared a hug together, soon joined with a kiss, a kiss hoping to lead into something more. Being alone with the woman he loved most, Danny's concerns all seemed to melt away with each second with her, no longer needed to face the troubles that he once did.

As the couple continued on, Danny began to find himself daydreaming into the night sky. Looking up into the sky, he could see his alter-ego, Danny Phantom, flying across the moonlit sky, not having a care in the world. As multitudes of ghosts headed straight to the half-dead hero, seemingly bringing him to his doom, Danny Phantom fought the ghosts off effortlessly, finding adventure in his journey as a swashbuckling ghost hunter.

As Danny continued to focus on the daydream, he began to find himself wishing to be his old self again, facing temptation to step into the portal and become Danny Phantom once again. With his attention focused onto the sky and not to his partner, Sam began to grow concerned again, with a dose of impatience with Danny's mind wandering.

"Danny?" Sam asked.

With Sam's voice bringing him back to the moment, Danny's daydream quickly ended, putting his mind back in the present. As the daydream came to an end, Danny found his troubles resurfacing yet again, causing him to long for the days that he was Danny Phantom yet again.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine, I just... I thought I saw a ghost." Danny said.

Letting go of his past once again, Danny continued to share the moment with Sam, aiming to spend as much time with her as he can for the rest of his life. As much as he longs for the days as he was the half-ghost defender of humanity, it seems that those days are long gone for him now, and has other things to look forward to.

But, then again, the future is never set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.

[Soundtrack Cue: Placebo - Post Blue; Plays out]


	22. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

In a blank space in the universe, outside of the rules of physics and matter and time, there exists a strange place, a very peculiar place made for the observation of all deviations of time itself, monitoring and influencing the timeline at every nanosecond of its passing. Every possibility, every movement of everything, from the marching of elephants to the flap of a butterfly's wings; everything is seen here. To take it all in, one would have to be godlike or insane merely to comprehend it.

Alone in this strange palace, one young woman lays alone in the place without time. She does not know where she is, she does not know how she got here, and she does not know where to go from here. She thought herself dead, and, if not for the powers that kept her existing, she may have very well been.

This young woman is Danielle Phantom. An instant ago, she was erased from existence, or so she thought.

Looking around the strange place, never having seen it before nor knowing why she was there, she found herself in a state of anxiety and panic, not knowing what would come next in this place.

All around the walls, many, many clocks scattered the wall, ticking and ticking constantly. Each clock ticking in its own beat, all ticks coming together as one symphony of madness, but at the same time all moving in perfect alignment. Despite all the clocks and their seeming passing of time, there was no perception of time to be felt in this place, as if in some form of a dream.

" _Danielle_." A voice said.

Becoming paranoid from the strange voice, Dani powered up her fists, preparing to attack her abductor at the first sight. With the lack of perception of time adding to her anxiety, Dani began to buckle under pressure, just barely able to stay sane in this insane place.

"Who's there? What do you want?" Dani asked.

Fading into reality in this strange place, the watcher of time, the being known only as Clockwork, appeared into the room.

"You again? Why am I here?" Dani asked.

"I have a plan in effect to change the Earth for the better, a betterment that will keep it guarded from now until the end of time, and my plan is proceeding well. You, although not part of my plan, still have some usefulness. You are far too good a guardian to allow to perish so soon." Clockwork answered.

"So, what happens now?"

"Here, you will stay with me and watch the events unfold. Danny's choice was but the first step of my plan. Next, I move on to bring forth the next guardian. A simple boy known as Arnold Shortman, but, when I have done my work, he will never be the same again."

"Arnold who?"

* * *

One early morning at Fenton Works, Danny found himself left alone at home. With his parents both going to their jobs and working long shifts to pay their bills and put food in their cupboard, Danny was left alone without much to do. Continuing his best-selling work _Danny Phantom: The Living Ghost_ and putting away enough money to go to college and fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut. A simple life compared to his previous life as Danny Phantom, but a dream to aspire for nonetheless.

However, this day, Danny has a slight interruption in that task. Out of nowhere, the doorbell rang. Danny, being the only one home, answered the door, greeted by an unexpected visitor.

Danny was met by a strange and unusual gentleman; this gentleman had an unusually large head, wearing a trench coat a t-shirt with an unsmiling face on the front. Danny, never having met this man before, found himself confused at his arrival.

"Can I help you?" Danny asked.

"Hello, Mr. Fenton. My name is Dib Membrane. I've been keeping up on your very popular comic series." The man said.

"Uh, hey, look, man, I usually only do this kind of stuff at conventions, but if you want an autograph that badly, I'll sign it, but I just want to be-"

"I know where you get your ideas from. Tell me, if you write about your own life experiences in another timeline, does that count as plagiarism?"

Danny, not expecting this man to know the truth about his previous life as Danny Phantom, found himself taking this man much more seriously, and with extreme prejudice.

"What the hell do you want?" Danny asked.

"I'm assembling a team of super-powered beings like yourself. I'd like to have you aboard."

 **DANNY PHANTOM WILL RETURN IN:**

 **"NICKTOONS UNITE"**

* * *

 **COMING ATTRACTION**

Welcome to Ocean Shores.

Resting snugly inside Orange County, sitting on the edge of the ocean, the city is known for its sun-sational beaches, perfect surf break, world-famous boardwalk complete with rollercoasters, and its underground skating subculture, alive and well in the city.

In the alleyway, resting uneasily by himself, is a man named Otto Rocket a pillar of the skating subculture. Laying softly in the alley, wishing to find a moment alone from the troubles of his own life, his rest was soon interrupted. Somewhere nearby, a loud cluttering and noise was heard, awakening Otto from his rest.

Groggy from his sleep, Otto got up to investigate the source of the noise. After investigating the area for a minute, lightly scanning the area, he seemed unable to find the source of the noise. Not too concerned with the noise, Otto then disregarded it altogether, deciding to go sit back down alone.

The noise occurred again, now summoning Otto's full attention to the matter. Growing annoyed by the noise interrupting his rest, Otto skated around the block to find the source of the noise, wishing to end the obnoxious noise. Upon searching for the noise, Otto found himself behind the local strip mall, an area that should be well-abandoned at this hour. After skating further around to the parking lot to investigate, he found the noise once again disappeared, leaving the lot at a dead silence.

Just as he was about to turn his back to leave, hoping to put the noise behind him, Otto heard the noise one more time. This time, however, he found the source of the stray noise. It was coming from Sam's Electronics Store, a store operated by Sam Dullard, one of his close friends.

Otto, checking the source of the noise, went to the front door and proceeded to open it, looking to investigate the store. Before he could check the source of the noise, out of nowhere, the store exploded in a violent flash of light, the force knocking Otto back several feet away and onto the hard asphalt ground. Barely able to overcome the force of the blast and the impact of the asphalt, Otto found himself struggling to focus on the present moment.

Upon regaining full consciousness, his eyesight just barely coming back into focus, Otto saw several masked figures in high-tech suits leave the store with several bags of stolen goods.

"Ha! Why didn't we think to hit this place sooner?" One asked.

"You didn't have me to tell you about this place. I've just been with you Ripper guys for a while, but I like you already." A different one replied.

"Yeah, we appreciate the enthusiasm, but we'd better get out of here before the cops show up." Another one said.

Finally bringing himself on his feet again, Otto brought himself to confront the robbers, aiming to save the stolen goods of his friend's store.

"Hey, you! Hold it right there!" Otto said.

The robbers, not taking prior notice of Otto, turned to him. The robbers' masks had glowing ice-blue eyes, giving a rather soulless look to their appearances. Otto, not planning his confrontation carefully, found himself low on options on how to stop the high-tech robbers.

Thinking over his options carefully, Otto chose what could possibly be the dumbest option he had.

"Uh... You're under arrest! You have the right to remain silent!" Otto said.

The robbers, not knowing what to make of Otto's remark, found themselves completely dumbfounded by his bluff. Upon realizing that he did not actually have any means of stopping the group, the robbers started laughing hysterically at his efforts.

"Man, we were just gonna kill you, but that was a pretty good laugh, so we'll just knock you out instead. Consider this merciful." The third robber said.

The third robber pulled out a strange-looking handgun, not resembling anything a common store thief would carry. Flipping a switch on his handgun, the third robber shot Otto with a rubber bullet to his stomach, knocking him on his back again. Not prepared for another fall to his back not a rubber bullet to his gut, Otto gave a loud groan of pain.

"See you later, punk-ass!" The first robber said.

Finding his motivation to stop the robbers, Otto got himself back up again, continuing to confront the robbers. With the robbers now beginning to run from the scene, Otto continued his pursuit on foot.

"Hey, you! Stop!" Otto called.

The robbers, preparing to make their proper escape, pulled skateboards off their backs and threw them to the ground, subsequently hopping on and quickly skating away. However, to Otto's surprise, there was something very different about these skateboards. These boards had no wheels nor any way to connect to the ground, these boards seemed to hover off the ground, defying gravity itself. Otto, never having seen such a sight in his life, found himself dumbfounded by the sight of the hoverboards.

"What the hell?" Otto thought aloud.

Thinking quickly, Otto overcame his initial surprise and jumped onto the nearest robber's board, gripping tightly onto it. As the board continued to move down the street, Otto found himself facing the asphalt scraping against him, as he was being dragged at several miles per hour on the board.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?! You're gonna mess up my gyro-stabilization!" The robber said.

"I'm not letting you get away! You'll never shake me off!" Otto replied.

"Maybe I can't shake you off the ground, but how about in the air?"

[Soundtrack Cue: Powerman 5000 - Supernova Goes Pop]

Before Otto could question what the robber was meant, two small rockets appeared on the sides of the board as the robber pushed a pedal on the board with his foot. As the rockets pulled out to the sides, the rockets ignited, blasting the board several hundred miles per hour in seconds, reaching the sky in little to no time.

Otto, barely even able to comprehend the bizarre turn of events, felt his jaw drop as events unfolded.

" **OH, GOD, HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!** " Otto screamed.

As Otto continued his childishness panic, the board stabilized itself in the air, bringing the flight to a more stable flight pattern. With the board under control, the robber pulled Otto off of the edge of the board and placed him firmly on the center.

"You- You helped me on?" Otto questioned.

Rather than answer his question with words, the robber answered his question with a sharp punch to his face, nearly knocking Otto back off the board. With just enough determination and balance, Otto managed to prevent himself from falling off the hoverboard, averting a fall to his death.

"I want to enjoy whomping you, Rocket Dork!" The robber said.

 _'Rocket Dork"? "Whomp"? The only person who calls me that is... No way, it can't be..._ Otto thought.

As Otto's thoughts began to contemplate the identity of the robber, his thoughts were quickly stopped with another punch to the face, brining a sharp, stinging pain to his mind in place. Needing to place his focus on the more important matters at hand, Otto placed his mind back into the fight.

"What's the matter? Never been in a fist-fight before?" The robber asked.

The robber began to throw another punch, aiming to make a sufficient blow to knock Otto off the board once and for all. This time, however, Otto ducked the punch with enough speed, following his duck by landing an uppercut to the robber's stomach, making him cough heavily from lack of air.

"Way more than you've ever been in, techno-freak!" Otto replied.

The two began to land more punches into each other for a few minutes, each strike following with each other trying to balance on the board in the air. With the combatants balancing their thoughts between balancing the board and attacking the other, the fight began to become more and more tense with every blow, one of the two more and more likely to make a mistake that would lead to both of their deaths.

Realizing this inevitable fact, Otto got an idea to finish the fight. Leaning his body to the side, holding tightly onto the board with his hands, the board's balace was misaligned, causing it to spiral out of control toward the ground. The robber, holding onto the board with a pair of magnetic boots, found himself in a state of vertigo, the whole world seemingly spinning around him.

Finally, the board crashed into an alleyway.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

 **CONTINUES IN:**

 **"ROCKET POWER: ZERO GRAVITY"**

* * *

 _If_ _you liked this story, make sure to give it a review and favorite it so I know I'm doing a good job. If you didn't like it, review it anyway telling me what you didn't like so I know what to work on._

 _Courtesy,_

 _Your friendly neighborhood DevilBoy216._


End file.
